bequia easter regatta 2014

Transcription

C A R I B B E A N
On
-lin
e
C MPASS
JUNE 2014 NO. 225
The Caribbean’s Monthly Look at Sea & Shore
BEQUIA EASTER REGATTA 2014
WILFRED DEDERER
Story on page 14
JUNE 2014 CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 2
DEPARTMENTS
Info & Updates ...................... 4
Business Briefs ....................... 7
Eco-News .............................. 10
Meridian Passage ................. 11
Regatta News........................ 12
Street’s Directions ................. 26
Product Postings ................... 29
Fun Page ............................... 30
Book Reviews...................32, 33
The Caribbean’s Monthly Look at Sea & Shore
www.caribbeancompass.com
JUNE 2014 • NUMBER 225
What You Say!
Readers’ Survey 2014 ........... 11
A View for You
Editor...........................................Sally Erdle
sally@caribbeancompass.com
Assistant Editor...................Elaine Ollivierre
jsprat@vincysurf.com
Advertising & Distribution........Tom Hopman
tom@caribbeancompass.com
Art, Design & Production......Wilfred Dederer
wide@caribbeancompass.com
Accounting............................Shellese Craigg
shellese@caribbeancompass.com
Compass Agents by Island:
Antigua: Ad Sales & Distribution - Lucy Tulloch
Tel (268) 720-6868, lucy@thelucy.com
Barbados: Distribution - Doyle Sails
Tel/Fax: (246) 423-4600
Colombia: Distribution - Marina Santa Marta
www.igy-marinasantamarta.com/en
Curaçao: Distribution - Budget Marine Curaçao
curacao@budgetmarine.com Tel: (5999) 462 77 33
Dominica: Ad Sales & Distribution - Hubert J. Winston
Dominica Marine Center, Tel: (767) 448-2705,
info@dominicamarinecenter.com
Grenada:
Ad Sales & Distribution - Karen Maaroufi
Cell: (473) 457-2151 Office: (473) 444-3222
compassgrenada@gmail.com
Cruisers’ memories and plans ... 20
CHRIS DOYLE
LUCY TULLOCH
Classic Beauty
‘Antiques’ in Antigua.....17 & 24
TIM WRIGHT
Sail Week
Season’s grand finale ............ 18
Weather Time
On-line forecast sources ....... 28
Venezuela: Ad Sales - Patty Tomasik
Tel: (58-281) 265-3844 Tel/Fax: (58-281) 265-2448
xanadumarine@hotmail.com
Caribbean Compass welcomes submissions of articles, news items, photos and drawings.
See Writers’ Guidelines at www.caribbeancompass.com. Send submissions to sally@caribbeancompass.com.
We support free speech! But the content of advertisements, columns, articles and letters to the editor are the sole
responsibility of the advertiser, writer or correspondent, and Compass Publishing Ltd. accepts
no responsibility for any statements made therein. Letters and submissions may be edited for length and clarity.
©2014 Compass Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication, except short
excerpts for review purposes, may be made without written permission of Compass Publishing Ltd.
ISSN 1605 - 1998
On the cover: The many facets of the Bequia Easter Regatta, as seen through the lens of photographer Wilfred Dederer
Compass covers the Caribbean! From Cuba to Trinidad, from
Panama to Barbuda, we’ve got the news and views that sailors
can use. We’re the Caribbean’s monthly look at sea and shore.
Click Google Map link below to find the Caribbean Compass near you!
http://bit.ly/1fMC2Oy
PAGE 3
‘An excellent, interesting and informative publication.
We always look forward to the next issue and miss it if
we cannot find one.’
— Readers’ Survey 2014 respondent
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
New St. Lucia ridge hike ....... 22
Martinique: Ad Sales & Distribution - Isabelle Prado
Tel: (0596) 596 68 69 71 Mob: + 596 696 74 77 01
isabelle.prado@wanadoo.fr
Panama: Distribution - Shelter Bay Marina
www.shelterbaymarina.com
Puerto Rico: Distribution - Sunbay Marina, Fajardo
Olga Diaz de Peréz, Tel: (787) 863 0313 Fax: (787) 863 5282
sunbaymarina@aol.com
St. Lucia: Ad Sales & Distribution - Maurice Moffat
Tel: (758) 452 0147 Cell: (758) 720-8432
mauricemoffat@hotmail.com
St. Maarten/St. Barths/Guadeloupe:
Ad Sales & Distribution - Stéphane Legendre
Mob: + 590 690 765 422
steflegendre@wanadoo.fr
St. Vincent & the Grenadines:
Ad Sales - Shellese Craigg
shellese@caribbeancompass.com Tel: (784) 457-3409
Distribution - Doc Leslie Tel: (784) 529-0970
Tortola/BVI: Distribution - Gladys Jones
Tel: (284) 494-2830 Fax: (284) 494-1584
JUNE 2014
Fore and Aft
Caribbean Compass is published monthly by
Compass Publishing Ltd., P.O. Box 175 BQ, Bequia,
St. Vincent & the Grenadines.
Tel: (784) 457-3409, Fax: (784) 457-3410
compass@vincysurf.com
The Caribbean Sky ............... 34
Cooking with Cruisers .......... 37
Readers’ Forum ..................... 38
Calendar of Events ............... 40
Salty’s Beat ............................ 40
What’s On My Mind .............. 41
Caribbean Market Place ..... 42
Classified Ads ....................... 4
Advertisers’ Index ................. 46
MARCIE CONNELLY-LYNN
Aruba Clearance Update
Sanders Vellinga of Renaissance Marina in Aruba reports: There have been some
changes to Aruban clearance procedures.
Construction work is underway in Barcadera Harbor in preparation for moving the
container terminal from Oranjestad to Barcadera Harbor. Therefore, as of April 15th,
yachts visiting Aruba have to do their clearance in Oranjestad Harbor.
Call “Aruba Port Control” on VHF channel 16 when approaching Oranjestad harbor. The port captain will switch to channel 11 or 14. Then request permission to
enter the harbor to clear Customs and Immigration. Customs agents are present in
Oranjestad Harbor; the Immigration officer will have to come down from Barcadera.
Calling in your arrival half an hour before arrival will expedite the clearing-in process
Oranjestad southeast entry buoy: 12°30.317’N, 70°02.153’W.
The port captain will assign you a place to tie up on one of the harbor docks and
notify the authorities. The Immigration and Customs officers will come to your vessel
to do the clearance. This can be at one of three places:
• At the cruise ship dock: the long wharf that you will see upon entry into the harbor from the southeast.
• At the first inlet (called “Eduard Dock” to starboard and “Frits Dock” to port).
12°31.223’N, 70°02.667’W.
• Or, most likely, at the second inlet (with “Gerard Dock” to starboard and “Hans
Dock” to port). 12°31.285’ N, 70°02.709’W.
You will have to do your clearance with both Customs and Immigration.
Before departing the harbor to your anchorage or marina of choice (or
making any movements within the harbor), call Aruba Port Control to make
sure there is no other traffic.
The Aruba Ports Authorities port fee charged for yachts tied to their docks has
been discontinued. For more info about Renaissance Marine see ad on page 6.
Clearing In at Los Roques
Oscar Hernández Bernalette, who contributed to Chris Doyle’s Cruising Guide to
Venezuela, reports: The commander of the Coast Guard in Los Roques, Capt. Florez
Muñoz, gives the following information. When boats arrive at Gran Roque as their
first port of call in Venezuela, they can check in with Immigration and present the
JUNE 2014
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 4
Info
& Updates
ship’s papers in the building near the airport; just ask for SAIME (for Immigration and
other authorities, including a review of the boat by the Coast Guard). Normal routine. Capt. Florez Muñoz recommends that you arrive with a zarpe indicating that
you are heading to Los Roques. It would be wise to ask the Venezuelan consulate in
St. Vincent or Grenada whether or not you need a visa to enter Venezuela.
There can be some restrictions on where you can go in Los Roques, depending on
environmental protection or security issues at the time, although there is nothing at
the moment. There is no way to get fuel on the island; they don’t sell it legally to visitors in the islands. (Editor’s note: Buying fuel illegally can mean big trouble; see “An
Unplanned Stay in Venezuela” in last month’s Compass.) They don’t have any other
specific restrictions at this time.
The Coast Guard is prepared to help in an emergency. Capt. Florez Muñoz’s number
is (0412) 450-7251 and the emergency number is (0237) 221-1114; country code is 58.
I recommend that when visiting Los Roques, cruisers follow Chris Doyle’s Guide to
Venezuela, not because I was involved but because it is the best for the time being.
Caribbean Safety & Security Net News
Kim White reports: The Caribbean Safety and Security Net (CSSN) is proud to
announce the availability of an online form for reporting safety and security incidents. Look for the “Report an Incident” icon on the CSSN home page at
www.safetyandsecuritynet.com. The online form is straightforward and will make it
easier to submit a complete report.
—Continued on next page
Our OCEAN PLUS sails are guaranteed for five years or
50,000 miles. Built by sailmakers dedicated to building
the finest, most durable and technologically
advanced sails possible.
British Virgin Islands
Doyle Sailmakers BVI, Ltd
Road Reef Marina
Road Town, Tortola
Tel: (284) 494 2569
bob@doylecaribbean.com
Barbados
Doyle Offshore Sails, Ltd
Six Crossroads,
St Philip,
Tel: (246) 423 4600
joanne@doylecaribbean.com
Antigua & Barbuda
Star Marine
Jolly Harbour
Panama
Regency Marine
Panama City
USVI St Croix
Wilsons' Cruzan Canvas
Christiansted
Curacao
Zeilmakerij Harms
Kapiteinsweg #4
Puerto Rico
Atlantic Canvas & Sail
Fajardo, Puerto Rico
Jamaica
PJG
Kingston
Dominica
Dominica Marine Center
Roseau
St Lucia
Rodney Bay Sails
Rodney Bay
Bonaire
IBS b/v
Kaya Atom Z
Grenada
Turbulence Sails
True Blue St George
St. Vincent
Barefoot Yacht Charters
Blue Lagoon
Martinique
Voilerie Du Marin
30 Bld Allegre
Trinidad & Tobago
AMD
Chaguramas
—Continued from previous page
The widespread availability of WiFi/internet should make it possible for complete
and up-to-date reporting using the online form. Remember, it is every cruiser’s
responsibility to ensure that incidents are reported, and with the online form it’s easy!
Effective April 1st, the daily SSB voice net on 8104 at 0:815 AST was discontinued.
Although a user survey indicated a desire for this service, participation rates were
too low to justify the time and effort required to continue this net. Many thanks to
Harm Brink of S/V Horta who served as the multilingual CSSN net controller for the
past two years, and to everyone else who participated throughout the years.
Mayreau Dinghy Dock Patrol
Christine Gooch reports: Since December 2013, the Grenadine island of Mayreau
has had a team of volunteers and local police keeping an eye on cruisers’ dinghies
in both Saltwhistle and Saline Bays. Although there had been no thefts on Mayreau,
events on nearby Union Island (such as the assault on the crew of S/Y Rainbow at
Frigate Island) prompted local policeman Owen Isaacs to be proactive and set up
the patrols, which are funded by businesses on the island. The Mayreau Security
Patrol arrive at the dinghy dock at 6:00PM and stay until the last dinghy leaves, giving cruisers the peace of mind that they can go ashore to a bar or restaurant and
know their dinghy will be there when they get back, which in turn generates customers for the businesses — a win-win situation. Although the patrols don’t as yet
have enough money to fund a boat patrolling the anchorages, they try to keep an
eye on anchored yachts from the shore, watching for unusual activity or boats
dragging their anchor. At the moment the patrols will probably only run outside the
hurricane season, as there are enough yachts around then to make it viable.
However, Mr. Isaacs can be contacted at any time on VHF 16 or by phone on
(784) 530-2752.
CASIMIR HOFMANN
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
Second Life Sends Sails to Haiti
The Second Life Used Sails program collected 43 sails last season, of which 29 were
given by members of the Seven Seas Cruising Association. The program is a joint
venture between the SSCA and Free Cruising Guide. The sails are sent to the
Dominican Republic from where Frank Virgintino, Author of Free Cruising Guides,
loads them on his sailboat, Raffles Light, and takes them to Haiti to be distributed to
Haitian fishermen.
JUNE 2014
SMMA Fees Revised, St. Lucia
Chris Doyle reports: The Soufriere Marine Management Area (SMMA) has revised its
fees effective from the beginning of April.
Vessel Class 1 (under 70 feet): One night US$20/EC$54/Euro18. One week US$120/
EC$324/Euro108
Vessel Class 2 (70 to 120 feet)
One night US$100/EC$270/Euro 89
Vessel Class 3: (120 feet and
over) One night US$200/
EC$540/Euro180
The Class 3 prices will be
charged at Class 2 till they have
big moorings in place.
Stepped-up police patrols
have improved conditions in
the SMMA, but still ask about
the situation at the Bat Cave
before leaving your boat there
to go out to dinner.
Grenada Marine Trades on the Move
The Marine and Yachting Association of Grenada held its 2014 AGM at True Blue
Bay Resort on March 19th.
A review of the CDE and CDB funded projects scheduled to be completed in
September 2014 was presented by Anita Sutton. Those in attendance were briefed
on the successful completion of the Economic Impact Study, and a brief peek was
given into the Improved Cross-Border Movement of Recreational Yachts Project,
which is expected to begin soon.
Nikoyan Roberts, the newly appointed Nautical Development Manager of the
Grenada Tourism Authority, gave an outline of the new Tourism Authority’s structure
and operation. She emphasized its commitment to yachting and outlined marketing
plans for the sector for 2014.
Nathalie Ruffin, the Business Sector Development Specialist for the Grenada
Industrial Development Corporation, presented the services available to MAYAG
members from the GIDC. These included benchmarking of sector and niche infrastructure requirements; designing of sector-specific incentives; publication of an
annual report on international market conditions, trends, development and positioning for Grenada; development of a funding proposal and work plan for improving
the business operating environment and the performance of the sector; and facilitation of the establishment of a Yachting and Marine Skills Advisory Group and skillstraining programme.
After a presentation of financials by Dieter Burkhalter, Board elections were held.
Anita Sutton indicated that after five busy years, it was time to step down as president. She thanked the industry, regional marine organizations, Government bodies,
NGOs and the other national private sector associations for their outstanding support and indicated that she will continue to support MAYAG, including ensuring the
successful completion of the CDB project.
A new Board was elected as follows: President – Nicholas George (Budget Marine),
Vice-President – James Pascall (Horizon Yachts), Treasurer – Dieter Burkhalter (Le
Phare Bleu Marina), Secretary – Danny Donelan (Port Louis Marina); Board Member –
Rosetta Weston (Grenada Marine); Board Member – Susie Grey (Spice Island
Marine); and Advisory Board Member - Nikoyan Roberts (Grenada
Tourism Authority).
Nicholas George has been on the MAYAG Board for three years and has been
involved directly with the marine industry in Grenada for over 11 years. He began
working for Budget Marine (Grenada) Limited in 2003 and is now Store Manager.
Within these 11 years Nicholas has forged many close alliances with individuals within the marine industry both locally and regionally.
For more information contact MAYAG at mayagadmin2@gmail.com.
PAGE 5
This year the sails were given out at Ile-à-Vache, Bombardopolis and Pointe Sable,
all of which are fishing settlements. The fishermen are grateful for the used Dacron
sails, as their boats are not powered by motors. They are also in need of fishing gear
including floats, hooks, fishing line, nets, etcetera.
For more information see ad on page 10.
Solo Rower Arrives in Dominica
After 91 days at sea, Peder Aström, 34, arrived at Dominica on May 3rd, having
rowed alone all the way across the Atlantic from Tenerife in the Canary Islands. On
needy students), and scholarships to the TA Marryshow Community College.
The traditional CCEF kick-off event is the Annual Potluck Barbecue, scheduled for
late afternoon on July 30th at Tanty Lizzy’s Seaside Fountain restaurant. Bring a dish
to share. Barbecue grills will be available as well as beverages for purchase. The
popular potluck raffle of items donated by local businesses is planned. Musically
inclined individuals should bring instruments for an informal jam session.
CCEFs Annual Auction is scheduled for Friday afternoon, August 1st, following the
Around Carriacou Double-Handed Yacht Race. In addition to the auction, tables
are set up to sell items, including the popular “bargain table” of boat parts, electronics, and all manner of miscellaneous items; a household goods table; books
and charts table; hats, T-shirts, and more. Among the items to be auctioned this
year are two windvane steering systems, three anchors, a small jib, a new Yamaha
outboard fuel tank, a Raymarine VHF, an ICOM SSB, a Whale galley fresh water
pump, a 220V dehumidifier, a 220V pressure washer, a 220V bread machine, a
110V drill, original art and prints, certificates for “dinners for two” at nearby restaurants, a gourmet cake, a massage, and the traditional certificate for one yacht
haul-out at Carriacou Marine.
So put Carriacou Regatta on your summer schedule and help us make this another successful year for the children of Carriacou. If unable to make it but passing
through Carriacou, drop items for auction and cash contributions by Arawak Diver.
See Kate or Daniela at the Slipway Restaurant for CCEF’s free WiFi service. Hope
you can join us.
For more information visit www.carriacouchildrenseducationfund.org.
JUNE 2014
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 6
VI to Haiti Sailors Needed Now
arrival, Peder told Dominica News Online that his original goal was Barbados but
waves from the south disrupted his plans. After satellite phone consultation with his
mother, Marie Johansson Geiger, he was advised to take a look at Dominica
instead. Off the coast of Scotts Head, he was feeling tired and he requested help
from Dominica. Compass agent Hubert Winston of Dominica Marine Center (at right
in the photo) used his sportfishing boat, Mega Bite, to guide him in to Roseau.
Peder’s effort was to raise awareness for a Nature Conservancy-supported campaign to stop bottom trawling.
For more information on Peder’s transatlantic row visit www.atlantic-project.se.
For more information on Dominica Marine Center see ad in Market Place section,
pages 42 through 45.
Upcoming CCEF 2014 Fund-Raising Events
Judy Evans reports: Carriacou’s Annual Regatta Festival, August 1st through 4th, is
rapidly approaching and the Carriacou Children’s Education Fund (CCEF) again
has fund-raising activities scheduled to coincide. All proceeds will fund CCEF projects, including providing school uniforms and supplies, Meals from Keels (lunch for
Mandy Thody reports: The Good Samaritan
Foundation of Haiti, Inc. (www.goodsamaritanofhaiti.com) is still seeking yachts traveling from the Virgin Islands area to Ile-àVache, Haiti, before hurricane season. We
have donated goods and equipment we’d
love to see delivered to our school and to
other projects! Local contacts will make
your visit safe and enjoyable. Please share
this message with your yacht club, cruising
association, and friends!
For more information contact mandy.
thody@gmail.com.
Department of Corrections
Ooops. We forgot the photo credits on page 28 of last month’s Compass. The
photo from Haiti was taken by David Morgan and the photo from Curaçao was by
Marcie Connelly-Lynn.
Welcome Aboard!
In this issue of Compass we welcome new advertiser Sugar Reef of Bequia, in the
Market Place section, pages 42 through 45. Good to have you with us!
BUSINESS BRIEFS
CAROLYN GOODLANDER
Perkins Power for Cap’n Fatty
Perkins completed the re-power of Ganesh, a Wauquiez 43, through their distributor
Parts & Power Ltd in Tortola. Cruising World magazine Editor-At-Large, Gary “Cap’n
Fatty” Goodlander, has replaced a 30-yearold Perkins 4.154 with a new Perkins M92B.
As part of the 1104 Series from Perkins, the
M92B is a naturally aspirated 4.4-litre engine
producing 64 kW at a modest 2400 rpm.
During sea trials, Ganesh was able to
achieve six and a half knots at 1700 rpm,
and seven knots at 2000 rpm and reached
a maximum speed of eight knots at 2400
rpm. All of this was achieved with a noise
level that was nearly half that of the
previous engine.
The M92B represents precisely tailored
technology delivering improved performance with reduced operating costs. The
engines are easy to maintain, and have a
500-hour service interval delivering excelFatty (left) with Tom and Barb
lent fuel economy.
of Parts & Power
Fatty and his wife Carolyn are well into their
third circumnavigation, where reliability is vital, and they have reported that the new
engine may have saved their lives already.
“At the height of our recent gale, I managed to claw down the jammed storm
staysail at dawn, which was very good in one sense but not another,” commented
Fatty. “We needed to heave-to: if we remained sail-less and sideways, we’d surely
roll within minutes. I checked for sheets and lines overboard, and hit the starter button. The Perkins immediately sprang into life, and powered Ganesh directly into
those powerful, giant, deck-sweeping 20-foot-plus seas, without a problem and at a
mere 1900 rpm.”
The crew of Ganesh have increased confidence in having a low-speed, hightorque, long-lived engine when they need it.
Parts & Power would like to thank all the local BVI businesses that assisted with
making this project such a success. BVI Yacht Charters, Tui Marine (the Moorings/
Sunsail) and Village Cay Marina all assisted in making the installation go smoothly.
Thanks also to the BVI Customs Department and Comptroller of Customs, Wade
Smith, for making Cap’n Fatty and Carolyn feel welcome.
Parts & Power Ltd, based in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, was founded in 1973. Parts
& Power Ltd has been serving the marine and industrial needs of the Caribbean for
40 years.
For more information about Parts & Power see ad on page 9.
JUNE 2014
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 7
The Pitfalls of Underinsurance
Offshore Risk Management writes: The cost of insurance is increasing and often clients are inclined to under-insure their boat to keep the costs down. Usually the justification is based on a small mortgage or loan outstanding, or a belief that the vessel
is worth less than the market or survey value. Clients feel if they get the value of the
insurance policy they will be happy.
This works until a loss occurs, particularly a small loss that is not a Total Loss, but one
where underwriters decide to declare the vessel a Constructive Total Loss (CTL) or
Agreed Total Loss (ATL) or words/terms to that effect.
For example: Your boat insurance renewal has just arrived and it has increased 25
percent over last year. You are fed up with increases, year after year, when you
have had no claims, and you decide to insure the boat for less.
The latest survey you have obtained values the boat at $100,000 but you only have
a $25,000 loan on the boat. As far as you are concerned you only want to pay off
the loan if you have a claim, and you will take the loss for the difference.
OYSTER, INGRID ABERY
Hooked on Fishing at Budget Marine
In years past, sailing yacht products were the main focus in Budget Marine’s chandleries, but today, sportfishing lines also feature prominently in all 12 locations. A
substantial chapter
of the Budget Marine
Product Catalog is
devoted to fishing
gear and attention is
being given to the
Caribbean’s growing
powerboating community. In line with
this, Budget Marine
now proudly title
sponsors a string of
fishing tournaments
throughout
the Caribbean.
Biggest is the popular Budget Marine
Spice Isle Billfish
Tournament in Grenada, which took place Jan 27th through 31st. Now in its 45th year,
it drew 51 boats and 261 anglers hailing from the USA, the UK, Aruba, Martinique,
Barbados, St. Lucia, Shetland Islands, Trinidad & Tobago and Grenada. Competition
at this event is fierce, as teams vie to catch and release the coveted grand slam prize
comprising blue marlin, white marlin and sailfish.
In March this year Budget Marine’s store in Trinidad took on title sponsorship of the
Budget Marine TTGFA Wahoo Blow Out in which 28 boats and 139 anglers, including
21 juniors participated. Other title-sponsored tournaments are the Budget Marine St.
Maarten Wahoo Tournament (November) and the Aruba Nautical Budget Marine
Annual Wahoo Challenge (February).
Support is also given to the Tobago International Fishing Tournament (May 14th
through 18th), St. Martin Billfish Tournament (June 10th through 14th), St. Thomas
Bastille Day Fishing Tournament (July 14th) and Bonaire International & Local Fishing
Tournament (Jan 27th through 29th, 2015). So if you dream of catching the big ones
— Marlin, Wahoo, Tarpon — register for Budget Marine’s fishing e-newsletter about
events, latest products and special offers relating specifically to fishy business at
www.budgetmarine.com.
For more information on Budget Marine see ad on page 2.
The premium for $25,000 is much less than for $100,000 and you instruct your agent
or broker to renew at the lower value and you save hundreds of dollars.
Then a claim occurs. Your boat is now insured for $25,000. The total damage to the
boat is $5,000, quite a bit less than the insured value of the boat, but the loss surveyor/adjuster determines the boat is worth at least $50,000 in its damaged condition
and the Insurer declares the vessel a CTL, takes possession of the damaged boat
and pays you $25,000. The Insurer then sells the boat for $40,000 and keeps the difference. Can they do that?
Yes. Your insurance underwriter, subject to policy conditions, etcetera, has promised to pay up to $25,000 for damages to your boat. By paying you the $25,000 they
have performed their end of the contract. In exchange for this payment, you must
sign over the title of the boat to them. This determination is based on commerciality,
rather than reparability, and is a legitimate course of action for the Underwriter.
This is the reality of underinsuring. We have seen it a few times and this is not the
best way to save money.
If you have a survey, or in the absence of a survey, you have an accurate market
value for your boat, do not insure for less than that amount unless you are prepared
to accept the consequences.
If you cannot afford the renewal premium, there are viable alternatives available,
such as financing the premium over a few months or making other changes that will
have a less dramatic effect on claims.
Offshore Risk Management is an international insurance provider with offices or
correspondents in North America, the Caribbean, the Pacific and elsewhere. For
more information see ad on page 28.
PAGE 8
Free Cruising Guide to Puerto Rico Now in Spanish
The Free Cruising Guide to Puerto Rico is now available in Spanish, as well as in the original English. This is the second guide that FCG offers free, translated into Spanish. The translation is now complete and will be posted to the Puerto Rico FCG website this month.
For more information on Free Cruising Guides see ad on page 33.
DYT Yacht Transport Helps Dismasted Yacht
Super Servant 4, one of the ships in DYT Yacht Transport’s fleet of yacht transporters,
diverted six miles from its course en route to St. Thomas, USVI to assist racing sailors
Thierry Chabagny and Erwan Tabarly aboard their dismasted yacht Gedimat, who
had radioed the ship for help on April 23rd. The 32-foot Figaro Beneteau II was competing in the Transat AG2R La Mondiale, a 3,890-mile double-handed race that
began on April 6th in France and finished at St. Barthelemy. Gedimat was leading
the fleet at the time of the rig failure and had approximately 1,900 miles to go to
reach St. Barths.
Gedimat had dismasted during a gale and its diesel had run dry as the vessel tried
to reach Madeira. Super Servant 4, which was 180 miles west of Madeira at the time
of the distress call, proceeded to divert and deliver two 20-litre drums of diesel to
Gedimat. The drums were thrown into the water, connected to a third empty drum
with a light. The crew was successful in bringing the drums aboard with no addition-
A ‘selfie’ aboard Gedimat before arrival of DYT’s Super Servant. After receiving fuel
from the yacht-transporting ship, Thierry and Erwan motored safely to Madeira
al assistance in the 20-knot breezes and two-metre swells.
Late last year, DYT Yacht Transport partnered with another leading yacht transport
company, Sevenstar Yacht Transport, which has been good news for yacht owners
who, by choice or necessity, depend on the shipping of their prized possessions to
various ports around the world. The two companies, while maintaining their separate identities, are fully equipped to advise on the best options for either float-on/
float-off (FLO/FLO) or lift-on/lift-off (LO/LO) services offered by a fleet of over 120
ships that are wholly owned and operated by parent company the Spliethoff
Group, one of the largest ship owners in The Netherlands, which plays a major role in
the global transport market.
For more information on DYT and Sevenstar, visit www.yacht-transport.com and
www.sevenstar-yacht-transport.com.
Mercury Marine Says ‘Wear Your Life Jacket to Work!’
Mercury Marine supported “Wear Your Life Jacket to Work” Day on May 16th.
Mercury joined boating professionals and boating enthusiasts to heighten awareness of different life jacket types that are available, including inflatable life jackets,
and demonstrated their comfort and versatility by wearing them to work.
The annual event, hosted by the US National Safe Boating Council (NSBC) served
as a fun, educational element just prior to National Safe Boating Week, May 17th
through 23rd, the official launch of the 2014 North American Safe Boating
Campaign. Educating the boating public about the safety and comfort of life jackets has been a main focus of the North American Safe Boating Campaign.
Pete Chisholm, product safety manager at Mercury Marine, says, “Wear a life jacket
when you boat — that’s the message we are trying to promote. They do you no good
stuffed under the seat in your boat. You need to wear one for it to work. Today’s life
jackets are lightweight, comfortable, and won’t interfere with your activities.”
US Coast Guard statistics show that drowning was the reported cause of death in
almost 71 percent of recreational boating fatalities in 2012, and that approximately
85 percent of those who drowned were not wearing life jackets.
More information about the event and safe boating is available at www.
Facebook.com/ReadySetWearIt.
The Mercury Marine dealer in Dominica is Dominica Marine Center. For more information see ad in the Market Place section, pages 42 through 45.
New Bus in Time for Turtle Watching, Grenada
Karen Kleppa reports: Cuthbert McMeo, better known to the cruisers as Cutty, has
acquired a brand new bus, just in time for the 2014 Leatherback Turtle Watch season in Grenada. This turbo-diesel bus seats 16 people comfortably and is equipped
with air conditioning, integrated speaker system, and VHF radio. The season for
watching the leatherback hatchlings finding their way to the ocean continues
through July.
Cutty also guides island and hiking tours in
Grenada. His extensive knowledge of the
flora and fauna and their natural healing
possibilities makes his tours memorable
and educational.
Cutty’s interest in developing community
tourism in Grenada was recently showcased
when he and his neighbors hosted an “oil
down” (Grenada’s national dish), where
locals and cruisers alike shared in everything
from peeling breadfruit and grating coconut
to stoking the open fire. Close to 80 people,
half of whom were cruisers, participated in
this unique sharing among cultures.
Call Cutty at (473) 407-5153.
rants. A new section of the marina, currently under construction, has been earmarked for the boat show.
Confirmed exhibitors to date include Sanlorenzo; HMY Yachts; Evermarine representing Benetti, Azimut, Bertram, Tiara and Boston Whaler; Galati Yacht Sales;
Maspor Marine representing Pursuit, Rampage, Tiara, Jupiter, Cruisers, Spencer and
Princess; Novey Marine representing Viking, Luhrs and Silverton; Andromeda representing Riviera, Belize and Lagoon; Intrepid Powerboats; Outer Reef Yachts; and
Quality Yachts representing Ferretti, Mochi Craft, Pershing, Cobia, Rinker, Cobalt,
Scout, Monterey and Formula.
According to the organizers, many exhibitors cite the growth of yachting in the
region as the reason why they have made the decision to participate in this
inaugural event.
For more information visit
www.showmanagement.com/panama-international-boat-show-2014/event.
PAGE 9
‘Growth of Yachting’ Spurs Panama Boat Show This Month
The inaugural Panama International Boat Show will take place from June 20th
through June 22nd, at the Flamenco Marina conveniently located near downtown
Panama City. The marina is a flourishing tourist attraction with a wide range of amenities, including 238 slips protected by two breakwaters, WiFi, and nine onsite restau-
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
New Team Member at Horizon Charters Grenada
Horizon Yacht Charters Grenada announces the addition of Judy Bullen to their
growing team as the new Charter Reservations Assistant.
Judy is a native of Grenada, and as a child growing up in the Caribbean, she considered herself to be very lucky to have lived on the two beautiful islands of
Grenada and Carriacou. Grenada was seen as the place where the family
focussed on school and work, while Carriacou was where they vacationed, spending endless days swimming at one of the many palm-lined white sand beaches, or
boating to the small uninhabited islands dotted around Carriacou.
Educated in Toronto, Canada, Judy returned to Grenada where she joined the
family business in Carriacou and assisted her father for ten years in running the Silver
Beach Resort, a small hotel at the end of Hillsborough Bay.
Judy’s responsibilities will include assisting clients with booking their bespoke yacht
charter holidays, as well as preparing all relevant paperwork in anticipation of their
arrival. Judy will also be maintaining databases and monthly reports. While Horizon
Grenada will benefit from her multi-tasking skills, they are also certain that clients
will appreciate her local knowledge and hospitality experience! Welcome on
board, Judy!
Judy Bullen can be contacted at info@horizongrenada.com or (473) 439-1002.
For more information visit www.horizonyachtcharters.com/grenada/grenada.html
JUNE 2014
Crewseekers Supports Young Crew
Launching alongside Crewseekers’ redesigned website, the long-established worldwide yacht crewing introduction agency has announced a Young Crew
Sponsorship Programme aimed at helping more young people to participate in a
life-changing sailing adventure.
By contributing towards travel to and from the vessel and their share of voyage
costs, Crewseekers will help pay for up to four young sailors (between the ages of 18
and 25) per year of any nationality who wish to crew on long distance sailing opportunities published on www.crewseekers.net.
Crewseekers’ Young Crew Sponsorship Programme will fund up to three-quarters of
the applicant’s total costs associated with traveling to and from the vessel and their
direct on-board costs. The number of awards may vary in any given year, within the
limit of the programme, although it is anticipated that up to four individuals per year
will receive support. The maximum contribution to any applicant will be £1,000.
All voyages of more than 1,000 miles posted on crewseekers.net will qualify for
inclusion in the scheme. The skipper of the vessel should be a member of
Crewseekers and should be qualified to (at least) RYA Yachtmaster Offshore or
equivalent. They should be experienced in long distance sailing, and Crewseekers
will expect the skipper to be able and prepared to offer informal tuition in the various aspects of long distance cruising, such as passage planning, navigation and
boat maintenance, during the voyage.
The applicant should have had some sailing experience, ideally qualified to
Competent Crew level. Crewseekers will pre-identify qualifying voyages and promote these as such on the website. Skippers of these voyages will be asked to participate in the programme and will be expecting sponsored applications.
Applications are accepted throughout the year.
For more information visit www.crewseekers.net/YoungCrew.
Caribbean ECO-News
JUNE 2014
First St. Martin Endemic Animal Festival
Over 200 people came to Seaside Nature Park in Cay Bay, St. Martin on April 27th
for a day of wildlife discovery, fun and learning at the first annual Endemic Animal
Festival. The Festival celebrated St. Martin’s extraordinary local and regional endemics — the animals that live only on this island or only in this region. The free, public
event was created for both residents and tourists by Les Fruits de Mer Association.
Most of the Festival activities took place in the Park’s breezy event space. Individual
posters of over 30 endemic species transformed it into an open-air exhibition.
People of all ages crowded around the Endemic Animal Discovery Station hosted
by naturalist Mark Yokoyama. “The Dwarf Geckos were definitely a big hit, especially one carrying a large egg that you could see through its skin,” reported
Yokoyama, Les Fruits de Mer co-founder and author of The Incomplete Guide to the
Wildlife of Saint Martin. Yokoyama gave short presentations about island endemics
and their role in history as well as showing visitors the various creatures on display.
Guests also took turns letting a friendly stick insect walk on their hands and arms.
Festival-goers flocked to special exhibits that were part of BirdsCaribbean’s
Caribbean Endemic Bird Festival as well, including a video spotlighting the island’s
vibrant birdlife. Adults and kids alike discovered how the jobs done by regionally
endemic birds — as
pollinators,
seed
spreaders, cleaners
and more — help
both
humans
and nature.
Attendees had a
unique opportunity
to
learn
about
endemic
wildlife
during the event’s
Guided
Nature
Walks,
which
brought them faceto-face with regionally endemic birds
and with lizards
found only on St.
Martin. Participants
found out how to
spot these special species on future outings. The Walks were led by professional
birding guide Binkie van Es and local wildlife enthusiast Dr. Jovan Halley from the
Healthy Iguana veterinary practice.
The tables at the Festival’s Art Activity Station were buzzing with children taking
part in wildlife-themed creative activities led by eco-artist Stephen Winkel and a
team of Les Fruits de Mer volunteers. Over 40 kids created festive reptilian masks
during the event’s Endemic Lizard Mask-Making Workshop, designed to link learning
about local wildlife with the cultural tradition of Carnival. “Art and culture can make
the best path for some kids to connect with nature and ecologic concepts,” explained
Winkel. “For example, here we have fun making a mask for Carnival, but it is also a
way to talk about what is endemic, learn which lizards live only on this island, and
look at their different coloration.”
For more information visit http://ass.lesfruitsdemer.org.
OLIVIA ROUDON
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 10
Beware Chikungunya!
The mosquito-borne disease chikungunya has been reported in islands ranging
from the Dominican Republic to the Grenadines, with the dengue-like illness being
almost an epidemic in some places.
Chikungunya symptoms include fever, severe joint and muscle pain, headache,
exhaustion, and rash. This occurs two to five days after infection and can continue
for ten to 14 days. While early symptoms exist you are contagious, and if again bitten
by an Aedes aegypti mosquito, you can pass on the virus. It is vital that if you do
show symptoms, you seek medical attention and isolate yourself as much as possible
so as not to spread the disease. Stay onboard if possible. If you must go ashore, use
repellants and cover exposed skin by wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants and
hats, and avoid congested areas.
The mosquitoes need to bite to breed. The only way the virus is transmitted is by
a Human-Mosquito-Human event. It cannot be otherwise passed by HumanHuman contact.
To avoid getting the disease, don’t get bitten. As Aedes aegypti mosquitoes breed
mainly in man-made containers, places with higher population densities provide the
greatest risk. Mosquitoes don’t like wind, so boats provide a relatively safe space.
Ashore, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are day-biters and most active around dusk — the
cocktail through the dinner hour, unfortunately! Again, use repellant and wear longsleeved shirts and long pants.
YOUR USED SAILS WANTED!
Designed to benefit fishermen in Haiti,
SECOND LIFE SAILS is a Clean Wake Project
of the Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA)
in a joint venture with Free Cruising Guides.
Donations of used sails and fishing equipment can be
sent to either Minneford Marina at 150 City Island
Ave., Bronx, NY 10464 (www.minnefordmarina.com)
or to Marina ZarPar in Boca Chica, Dominican
Republic (www.marinazarpar.com). School and first-aid
supplies are also welcome. A receipt for your donation
will be given upon request.
Frank Virgintino, developer of Free Cruising Guides,
will take all donated items to Haiti during February
2015 and distribute them to fishermen in a number
of communities.
For more information contact Frank Virgintino
at fvirgintino@gmail.com or SSCA board member
Catherine Hebson at cmvhebson@gmail.com.
Mangroves Could Save Guyana’s Shrinking Coastline
As reported by Desmond Brown at caribbean360.com, Guyana has been on an
intensive campaign to restore its coastal mangroves.
Approximately 90 percent of Guyana’s population lives on a narrow coastline strip
a half to one metre below sea level. That coastal belt is protected by seawall barriers
that have existed since the Dutch occupation. In recent times, however, severe
storms have toppled these defences, resulting in significant flooding, a danger scientists predict may become more frequent. Maintaining the seawalls is an enormous
cost for Guyana.
Now, in order to ensure that the seawall and sea dams continue to serve their
purpose, Guyana’s Ministry of Agriculture has been promoting the growth of mangroves to reduce the impact of the waves.
Guyana has about 80,000 hectares of mangroves in place now. Mangroves that
have been lost over the past 20 to 30 years are being replaced and the Ministry is
also establishing mangrove growth in new places.
Agriculture Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy notes that, “With the water and movement onto the shore, it is very difficult to grow mangroves.” As a result, Guyana has
been conducting research to determine the best technology to use to achieve success. “You need mangroves to grow to a certain extent before it can withstand the
water and so we’ve been trying things like various grasses and so on to hold the soil
together and we have been succeeding in these,” he says.
Technicians came up with the idea of constructing geotextile tubes to help natural
regeneration. A biodegradable tube filled with sand and water is used to form a barrier so that at high tide, muddy water can enter the area and sediment left behind
can help build the soil up to a necessary level. Spartina grass is then planted in the
area. The technicians have found that the mangrove seeds get caught in the grass
and would later germinate.
WHAT
YOU SAY!
Compass Readers’ Survey 2014 Results
The results of the sixth Caribbean Compass Readers’ Survey are in, and thanks to
your suggestion of putting the survey online, we’ve had the greatest response ever!
Your Current Concerns
Over the years, the Number One thing that survey respondents say makes an anchorage desirable is a clean environment, and awareness of our responsibility for the marine
environment is increasing. As one current survey respondent commented, “When I first
arrived here, sewage was not a concern. Now it is.” Keeping in mind that the majority
of Compass readers are boat owners, it’s a sign of the times that now slightly more than
half feel that yachts should be required to have and use holding tanks. The caveat is
that nine out of ten say that marinas should provide sewage pump-out facilities. Where
yachts are not required to use holding tanks, more than three-quarters of respondents
feel that there should be “No Anchoring Zones” within 200 feet of beaches to keep yacht
sewage away from swimmers. No doubt swimmers would agree.
More than three-quarters of respondents also feel it is fair to charge an entry fee
for Marine Parks, although it’s safe to say that they expect these fees to go directly
to the protection of the natural environment within the park.
Not surprisingly, security also remains a major concern, although respondents
indicate that they are well aware that security problems occur in specific hot spots.
A quarter of readers, at least, don’t feel that security is getting to be more of a problem in the region as a whole. Kudos to Grenada, all of the Virgin Islands, Antigua &
Barbuda, and all of the French islands (with the exception of St. Martin), which are
perceived to be the most secure destinations. Venezuela, the island of St. Vincent,
St. Kitts Marine Works
S
BOAT YARD - Haul & Storage
LOCATED AT NEW GUINEA, ST.KITTS Long 62º 50.1’ W Lat 17º 20.3’ N
LO
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Storage $ 8 / ft / month. Beat the Hurricane season rush. Have access
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Tie down available ($3/ft), backhoe available ($100/hr) to dig hole to put keel down
in etc. Pressure wash, Mechanics ($45/hr), Electricians ($45/hr), Welding and
Carpenters available. Our 164 ton Travel Lift has ability to lift boats up to 35 ft
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REGULAR HOURS FOR HAUL:
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JUNE - JULY 2014
Crossing the channels between Caribbean islands with a favorable tide will
make your passage faster and more comfortable. The table below, courtesy Don
Street, author of Street’s Guides and compiler of Imray-Iolaire charts, which
shows the time of the meridian passage (or zenith) of the moon for this AND next
month, will help you calculate the tides.
Water, Don explains, generally tries to run toward the moon. The tide starts
running to the east soon after moonrise, continues to run east until about an
hour after the moon reaches its zenith (see TIME below) and then runs westward.
From just after the moon’s setting to just after its nadir, the tide runs eastward;
and from just after its nadir to soon after its rising, the tide runs westward; i.e.
the tide floods from west to east. Times given are local.
Note: the maximum tide is 3 or 4 days after the new and full moons.
For more information, see “Tides and Currents” on the back of all Imray Iolaire
charts. Fair tides!
21
0712
11
2334
June 2014
22
0821
12
0000 (full moon)
DATE TIME
23
0851
13
0035
1
1503
24
0941
14
0134
2
1548
25
1031
15
0231
3
1632
26
1121
16
0325
4
1716
27
1204
17
0417
5
1758
28
1258
18
0508
6
1842
29
1344
19
0559
7
1926
30
1429
20
0649
8
2013
21
0738
9
2102
July 2014
22
0828
10
2155
1
1512
23
0918
11
2251
2
1555
24
1007
12
2351
3
1638
25
1055
13
0000 (full moon)
4
1721
26
1142
14
0051
5
1805
27
1227
15
0152
6
1852
28
1311
16
0250
7
1942
29
1354
17
0347
8
2035
30
1436
18
0440
9
2132
31
1519
19
0532
10
2232
20
0622
PAGE 11
MERIDIAN PASSAGE
OF THE MOON
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
St. Maarten and the southern part of St. Lucia are perceived to be the least secure.
Customs and Immigration is always a concern when sailing from country to country,
but 71 percent of those responding to this survey feel that most Customs and
Immigration officers in the Caribbean are efficient and courteous. Having said that, 83
percent said they would use the eSeaClear and/or SailClear system where available.
Where Readers Want to Be
The increasing concern for our natural environment brings us to the Number One
thing that readers say makes an anchorage desirable: a clean environment. Can we
say it again: A CLEAN ENVIRONMENT.
The next most desirable factors are friendly people and, a bit further down on the
list, amenities such as a dinghy dock, access to fuel and water, and a security patrol.
We forgot to include a question about WiFi in this year’ survey, but write-ins reminded us this is a major attraction, too.
Of course, the natural attributes of a good anchorage — such as protection from
wind and sea swell, good holding, reasonable depths, etcetera — are mentioned, as
well as “fun factor” items like good snorkeling and swimming, hiking nearby, and a
shady beach for relaxing.
Manmade factors that make an anchorage undesirable, in order of severity, are security problems and harassment, an unclean environment, overcrowding and noise.
As distinct from a desirable anchorage, what people are looking for in a “working”
destination (that is, somewhere to go for repairs and maintenance) is primarily value
for money, followed by availability of parts and supplies, a low crime rate, and availability of skilled service providers.
Consistent with the majority opinion in previous readers’ surveys, 88 percent of
respondents prefer to be in areas without jet skis.
Content on Course
The responses to this year’s survey show that — thanks in no small part to readers’
participation in our previous surveys, which have been conducted about every three
years — Caribbean Compass is right on course with providing informative, relevant
and enjoyable articles about sailing in the Caribbean, and delivering that targeted
content to you. Eighty-seven percent of all survey respondents say they spend
between half an hour and two hours reading each issue, and more than two-thirds
report that they refer back to an individual issue more than once. The majority read
the Compass every month, year round. This reader loyalty is underscored by ratings
that show high satisfaction levels with our current content, and your ratings and
suggestions let us know what we can fine-tune to make you even happier!
We know that any readers’ survey pre-selects an audience of fans, but we’re proud
to say that, although they also read various other boating publications, 97 percent
of survey respondents agree that, “Caribbean Compass is my favorite source of
monthly information for sailors in the Caribbean”.
Ads are Important, Too
Ninety-seven percent of this year’s survey respondents say they find advertisements in Compass to be “useful” or “very useful”, and 80 percent refer back to an
individual issue more than once for information about an advertiser. Seventy percent
report actually having purchased a product or service after seeing it advertised in
Compass, and 12 percent more say they haven’t yet but plan to do so.
Who Are You?
The typical Compass Readers’ Survey 2014 respondent is, of course, a sailor: a
North American male over 45 years of age, who is cruising aboard his own sailboat,
and is usually on the move. The typical respondent has kept his boat or plans to
keep his boat in the Caribbean for more than one year. In addition to North
Americans, British, continental European and Caribbean readers also chimed in.
Forty-three percent of respondents were female.
You Said It
Finally, we asked readers to describe the Compass in their own words. Here is one
reply that made us grin: “The journal of record for yachties, yacht racers and holidaymakers whose interests are more than suntans and lager.”
Many thanks to the scores of readers who took the time to participate in the
Compass Readers’ Survey 2014. Thanks to you, it’ll just get better.
JUNE 2014
We allow you to do your own work on your boat. No extra charge for Catamarans.
Payments – Cash (EC or US$)
Visa, Mastercard, Discover & travellers checks (must sign in front of us with ID)
REGATTA
NEWS
Smooth-Running Les Voiles de St Barth
Several classes were still up for grabs going into the
final day of racing at Les Voiles de St. Barth on April
The conditions produced several blown-out spinnakers and sails. Even in the protected area where the
Melges 24s were sailing, it was déjà vu for Frits Bus as
his Island Water World lost its mast and, just like last
year, missed out on a chance to seal a victory.
The change in conditions from the lighter wind of
the regatta’s first two days, April 14th and 15th, to
the 20-plus knots on the last two days affected several classes with boats that favored one range or
the other.
One of these was the hard-fought Spinnaker 1
Class, where Jim Madden’s US-based J/125, Stark
Raving Mad IV, edged out last years class winner,
Sergio Sagramoso’s Melges 32, Lazy Dog, by one
point. Jim said of their battle with Lazy Dog, “It’s a lit-
JUNE 2014
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 12
CHRISTOPHE JOUANY / LES VOILES DE SAINT-BARTH
Spinnaker Zero class
winner, Near Miss.
Owner/skipper Franck
Noël says his crew’s
spirit in Les Voiles
was ‘perfect’
19th. The conditions remained fresh, with a 22- to
25-knot southeasterly producing an impressive swell on
the island’s windward side.
Les Voiles de St. Barth Race Committee, led by Race
Director Luc Poupon, chose race courses to fit the
conditions, sending the Maxi and Spinnaker Zero, 1
and 2 classes on a 22-nautical-mile course, and
Spinnaker 3 and 4, Non-Spinnaker, and Multihull on a
16-nautical-mile course. To make up for a missed race
on the previous day, the six-boat Melges 24 class
completed two races, which were run in the more
protected waters on the western side of the island. As
a further provision, the class mutually agreed not to
use spinnakers.
As spectators watched from a sculpted rock plateau
500 feet above the beach of Colombier, the sailing
conditions on the northernmost point of St. Barths
seemed epic: strong, fairly steady wind, with flat water
at the starting area and the first rounding mark. At the
next mark, however, the fleet began its beat around
the island’s northern end into the ocean swell. A twoknot current running counter to the prevailing wind
produced six- to-eight foot seas that, while uncomfortable upwind, made for a rollicking ride off the breeze.
tle bit of the luck of the draw. We give them great
credit, they were great competitors and I think they
sailed really well.”
Winner of the Maxi Class was Swiss sailor Alex
Schaerer, owner/skipper of the Mills 68 Caol Ila R.
Schaerer and his team enjoyed close racing with
American Hap Fauth’s Bella Mente for the first part of
the week, until Bella Mente suffered a dismasting on
the penultimate day. Schaerer sails with a seasoned,
mostly Australian crew (the lone exception this week
was American Gary Weisman, past president of North
Sails) from two different Australian boats: Loki, which
at 63 feet is close in size to the 69-foot Caol Ila R, and
the super maxi Wild Oats XI, which has won line honours at the Sydney Hobart Race seven times. “The
Australians, of course, help us ‘little’ Swiss get the boat
around the marks safely!” Schaerer said.
In Spinnaker Zero Class, Franck Noël, owner/skipper
of the TP52 Near Miss, managed a near perfect score
line (1-2-1-1-1) to finish first. Noël said, “When Bella
Mente dismasted yesterday, that told us that nothing
is really over until the finish line is crossed. Today’s race
was very similar in wind and sea conditions as yesterday. We had to sail in a very conservative way in
order to finish without breaking anything — there
could be no useless chances taken.
“The crew has been very professional all week
long. Most of all, I appreciate their excellent team
spirit and good humor — this is to me the most
important thing on board; I hate when people
scream at each other. The crew has shown great
concentration while at all times keeping its relaxed
attitude. It has been perfect!”
In Spinnaker 2, Jack Desmond took a long path to a
well-deserved class win on his US-based Swan 48,
Affinity. In fall 2012, Affinity fell off its stands at a boatyard in New England and sustained substantial damage, so for last year’s Les Voiles, Desmond chartered
the Swan 56 White Rhino. This year, White Rhino was
chartered by Steve Cucchiaro, who became
Desmond’s closest competitor, tying on point score
with Affinity but finishing second on a
tiebreaker countback.
Sometimes it takes a couple of tries to get it right.
Returning this year was the English/Irish team on
Ramanessin, which managed a victory in Spinnaker 3
Class, after finishing second last year to Lazy Dog.
Nigel Young, the Irish tactician on board, said, “We
were really surprised by the light winds on the first day.
We were not expecting that, but this boat did us
proud. We managed to get the upper hand on the
second race by our sail selection and were able to
take the lead over the J/111 J Boss (which finished
second). We played it conservatively, but then we
have an exceptionally good crew, so they do not
make any mistakes.”
In Spinnaker 4, David Cullen’s Irish J/109, Pocket
Rocket, tied with Claude Roth’s Visiooptic, a First 40.7
from Guadeloupe, and won on a countback.
Les Voiles de St. Barth includes quite a few competitors and boats that return for multiple editions. In the
Non-Spinnaker class, Bobby Velasquez from St.
Maarten stands out. Velasquez, a well-known marina
owner from the Dutch island, has competed at all five
editions of Les Voiles, and this is his third class win.
In the nine-boat Racing Multihull class, the smallest
boat, Calle Hennix’s Swedish SeaCart 26, Team All
Stars, won overall. The Multihull class, which continues
to grow each edition, comprises a diverse lot. This
year it included the Irens-designed 63-foot trimaran
Paradox, two 62-foot Gunboat catamarans, and two
TS 50 catamarans.
In the Melges 24 class, with the last day’s two races
providing the opportunity for the greatest gain or loss,
Thierry LeFort’s Lefort Clim saved their best for last,
scoring two bullets to upset prior leaders Team Island
Water World and Budget Marine/Gill to take the overall class win.
Event Organizer François Tolède said, “This has been
another great edition, another success. I am really
pleased with the level of competition and camaraderie among all competitors and partners. The professionalism both on the water and onshore has been
amazing. Thanks to all our teams, Les Voiles de St.
Barth is now running smoothly, while still maintaining
welcoming scale for all to enjoy.”
The dates for the next edition of Les Voiles de St.
Barth will be April 13th through 18th, 2015.
For more information
visit www.lesvoilesdesaintbarth.com.
St. Barths’ West Indies Regatta 2014
Nine traditional Caribbean sailing vessels from various
Eastern Caribbean islands entered the sixth annual West
Indies Regatta, held May 1st through 4th in St. Barths.
After independence from colonial rule, sail was the
lifeblood for emerging West Indian nations and vessels
were built on all the islands in the Eastern Caribbean.
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Crafted on the beach, by artisans who passed down
their skills from generation to generation, these schooners and sloops sailed between the islands carrying all
kinds of cargo. A surge of interest in recent years has
seen outsiders commissioning vessels in Carriacou for
a growing racing and charter market. From Grenada
to Anguilla, new as well as restored sloops and schoo-
and crew were thanked by the president of the
Collectivité de St. Barth, Bruno Magras, for sailing to
the event to reconnect our islands.
This year’s Artisanal Market was a resounding success, showcasing products of the region that were
brought to St. Barths aboard the regatta entrants. The
highlight of the market was the arrival of tree sculptures and organic produce from Dominica aboard the
JUSTIN SIHERA / WEST INDIES REGATTA
Caribbean after a winter of cruising, including 13 who
sailed with the ARC and ARC+ in 2013. New faces
were warmly welcomed with a social program in
Nanny Cay, quickly building friendships. At the Ocean
Marine Yacht Center in Virginia, host port for the US
start of ARC Europe, participants also got together to
enjoy happy hours, parties and safety demonstrations
during their pre-start build up.
Eight boats sailed with the ARC USA rally from Nanny
Cay to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, via the Old Bahama
Channel, and shared the fun of the pre-departure
programme in Tortola with crews from ARC Europe.
Their route will see them sailing close to the north
shores of Puerto Rico, Hispaniola and Cuba, sheltered
from the Atlantic swells by the Turks & Caicos and the
Bahamas. It should take approximately seven days for
them to reach Bahia Mar Marina in the Sunshine State.
Conditions for the start of both rallies in Tortola featured sunny skies and a strong easterly breeze gusting
up to 20 knots.
WORLD CRUISING CLUB
New Arrival Port for Atlantic Odyssey II
The arrival destination of Jimmy Cornell’s Atlantic
Odyssey II, which is scheduled to start from La Palma
on January 8th, 2015, has been changed from
Grenada to Martinique. Organizers say that the
change in this new transatlantic rally has been made
for logistical and practical reasons, “as Port le Marin is
one of the best-endowed marinas in the Eastern
Caribbean, with a full range of repair and
service facilities”.
For more information visit http://www.cornellsailing.com/
sailing-rallies/atlantic-odyssey.
PAGE 13
ARC Europe Departs Tortola
Yachts sailing under the flags of 13 different nations
set sail on May 3rd for offshore adventures as part of
two World Cruising Club Spring rallies: ARC Europe and
ARC USA.
Venturing west to east across the Atlantic, 34 boats
will sail with ARC Europe this year; 25 left from Nanny
Cay, Tortola, and eight from Portsmouth, Virginia.
These groups will converge in Bermuda to continue
their passage to Europe and enjoy a cruise through
the mid-Atlantic Azores archipelago en route. Among
the ARC Europe fleet, many boats are leaving the
ON THE HORIZON…
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
schooner Alexander Hamilton.
The organizers thank the Collectivité de Saint
Barthelemy, Port de Gustavia, Office de Tourism, Club
Unesco, Budget Car Rental, SkullDuggery Rum, Alma,
Segeco, Revolution Band, Free in St. Barth, and all of
the people of St. Barth that have again made the
event so welcoming!
For more information
visit http://westindiesregatta.com.
JUNE 2014
ners sail in the charter trade and at regional events
including the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta and the
West Indies Regatta.
In addition to several Carriacou sloops, the 2014
West Indies Regatta fleet included the schooners
Alexander Hamilton from Nevis in the Leeward Islands
and Scaramouche from Union Island in the
Grenadines. Scaramouche is one of only two original
working trading schooners left; the other is Friendship
Rose from Bequia — which the event’s organizers say
will be invited next year.
The competition was fierce this year among Savvy,
Summer Cloud, Zemi, Genesis and the new sloop
Exodus, which was launched last year. The Carriacou
sloops are the subject of a film called “Vanishing Sail”
(www.vanishingsail.com), which will be screening at
the 2015 St. Barths Film Festival to coincide with the
opening night of the Regatta.
The 2014 West Indies Regatta was won by the
Carriacou sloop Zemi, followed closely by Summer
Cloud in second and Savvy in third, with all other vessels being honored for their participation. Captains
On May 14th, the ARC Europe fleet re-started for Leg
2, sailing approximately 1,800 nautical miles to the
famous mid-Atlantic rendezvous point of Horta in the
Azores. The rally visits four of the islands over a 12-day
period, with the option of visiting a fifth. After almost
two weeks cruising the Azores archipelago, boats
either sail on with the fleet to Marina de Lagos in
Portugal, or make their own way north towards the UK
and Ireland.
ARC Europe will come to a close with a final prizegiving ceremony in Portugal on June 15th.
For more information visit www.worldcruising.com.
BEQUIA EASTER REGATTA 2014
ALL PHOTOS: WILFRED DEDERER
HIGH WINDS — HIGH SPIRITS
JUNE 2014
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 14
THE
Bequia Easter Regatta 2014 came to a close on April 21st
with the Grand Prizegiving at the Gingerbread Hotel. A total
of 71 boats — 43 yachts and 28 local double-enders — registered to take part in the 33rd running of the popular annual event organized by the
Bequia Sailing Club. Yachts flew the flags of France, St. Lucia, Grenada, the USA,
Austria, Trinidad, Barbados and St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and locally built
open double-enders arrived from Carriacou, Mayreau and Canouan to sail against
their Bequia counterparts.
BSC Secretary Nicola Redway says, “We were thrilled with the turnout — our best
ever for such a late Easter and much higher than anticipated — but the wind and sea
conditions were a real challenge for a number of boats.”
In the four-day competition, yachts were divided into one Racing and two Cruising
Classes, as well as two one-design classes. The yacht side of the regatta was officiated
for the 15th year running by Principal Race Officer James Benoit from Grenada, working alongside the BSC Race Committee. The oldest and largest yacht in the fleet was the
beautiful 62-foot yawl Galatea, built in Sweden in 1899 and skippered by Judd Tinius
of the USA, which received the Spirit of Tradition Award. She was joined in the Cruising
II Class by a wide range of boats including a 1969 Etchells, Nobb, and a 1969 Shields,
True Form, skippered respectively by Bequians Bruce Gooding and Brooke Robertson.
The sprit-rigged wooden double-enders, originally designed as fishing and whaling
boats, were divided into six classes by length ranging from 12 to 28 feet, with the blustery conditions making things especially tough for the smaller boats.
(575) 436 3601 - 435 8009 - COLOMBIA
Above: The J/24 Class, racing hard for both a Bequia Regatta win and the title of
J/24 Southern Caribbean Champion 2014
Below: Double-enders in Class 7 prepare for big-boat battle
Of note in this year’s double-ender division was the fact that six of the
boats were crewed by youth sailors, promising the further development of
this local sport. In the high, gusting winds during the weekend, several of
the open double-enders rolled or broke down. In fact, fewer than half of the
boats registered managed to complete all three races. Skyler of Carriacou
won the hotly contested 28-footer class when Bequia Pride and Confusion,
both of Bequia, had problems on the final day.
The boisterous 20-plus-knot weather also led to several yachts incurring
damage. Among them was Jaguar, Peter Morris’s Frers 43 from Trinidad,
which three months before had been named Best Performing Yacht of Grenada
Sailing Week 2014. Jaguar lost her rudder in gnarly conditions off the southeast side of Bequia during the first day’s race. The boat was towed to safety by
Courtney Adams, while on-the-water photographer Kenmore Henville took
time out from his work to search for the wayward rudder. Also on Day One,
one of the Surprise Class, Denebola, was dismasted (see footage on the website
noted below). The crew of ADSL, which included parents of the youngsters on
Denebola, allowed the youngsters to carry on racing aboard ADSL.
The ten-entry J/24 Class included boats or crews from Barbados,
Grenada, St. Lucia and Martinique, competing in six specially designed
races. After a close tussle on the final day with last year’s J/24 Southern
Caribbean Champion, Sugar Beach Attitude from St. Lucia, Mount Gay
Scotia Bank Bunga Bunga from Barbados emerged the Overall Winner of the
J/24 Class, thereby taking the J/24 Southern Caribbean’s Champion title
for 2014. The twin brothers Sebastian and Joshua Morgan, Barbados Yacht
Club sailing instructors who crew on Bunga Bunga, attributed their win to
“teamwork, a great skipper and a very experienced tactician” who took over
when the skipper fell ill.
Full sails, small crews. Conditions
were particularly challenging for
the 12- and 14-foot classes
Left:
Close racing in
the windy but
flat waters of
Admiralty Bay
JUNE 2014
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
Right: The
1899-vintage
yawl Galatea
received
the Spirit
of Tradition
Award
PAGE 15
The yachts’ biggest class, Cruising 1, rounding a windward mark on Day Two
JUNE 2014
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
ALL PHOTOS: WILFRED DEDERER
PAGE 16
In the other one-design class, the 26-foot Surprises from Martinique, Clippers Ship, skippered by Nicolas Poix, was equal on points to Digilife, skippered by Vianney Saintenoy, but
took the win on a tiebreak.
Dieter Huppenkothen, skipper of the Cruising I Class winner Rasmus, said that racing
against Palm Tree Marine was tough, but since the Swan 43 is rather heavy, “we like to sail
in wind, plus we had a good crew… and nothing broke!” Meanwhile, Mike Bingley of Palm Tree
Marine, a Beneteau First 38.5, says, “We are making steady improvement year on year — and
we’ll be back!” Dieter and his crew added that they have returned to the Easter Regatta
because the “one good race per day” format is fun, and “we love the spirit of Bequia”.
When the races were over, the nightly prizegivings and parties hosted by the Bequia Sailing
Club, Platinum Sponsors Hairoun, Gold Sponsors Mount Gay Rum and Bronze Sponsors
Mountain Top Water, kept spirits refreshed and camaraderie at its usual high level.
The Bequia Sailing Club thanks Platinum Sponsors Hairoun (St. Vincent Brewery), Gold
Sponsors Mount Gay Rum (Vintages, Bequia), Silver Sponsors United Insurance, Bronze
Sponsors Mountain Top Water and the SVG Tourism Authority, Action Bequia, Bequia
Beach Hotel, Frangipani Hotel, De Reef, CK Greaves, Sandrock Bequia, WIP/French
House, and Sugar Reef for their support. Thanks also go to Customs and Immigration,
SVG Coastguard, the Bequia Tourism Association, Kenmore Henville, Courtney Adams,
numerous generous businesses in Bequia and St. Vincent, loyal private donors, and all
the volunteers within the Sailing Club who worked so hard to make Regatta 2014 another big success.
For full results and a slide show visit www.begos.com/easterregatta.
The dates of Bequia Easter Regatta 2015 will be April 3rd through 6th.
Competition was intense in the one-design Surprise Class, won by Clippers Ship
The double-ender Iron Duke, well over a century old, had a prior career as a seine-fishing boat
Before the start of double-enders on Saturday morning in Lower Bay
Party time at the daily prizegiving after Friday’s races at the Frangipani Hotel
BEQUIA EASTER REGATTA 2014 WINNERS
YACHTS
Cruising Class 1
1) Rasmus, Swan 43, Dieter Huppenkothen, Austria
2) Palm Tree Marine, Beneteau First 38.5, Mike Bingley, Grenada
3) C-Mos, Soverel 42, Norman da Costa, Trinidad
Cruising Class II
1) Leonora, Beneteau Oceanis 473, David Spieler, Barbados
2) Hot Chocolate, C&C 44, Rich Washington, St. Lucia
3) Nobb, Etchells, Bruce Gooding, St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Racing Class
1) Eliott & Compagnie, JPK 960, Frederic Dutheil, France
2) Category 5, Hobie 33 (modified), Richard Szyjan, Grenada
3) Open the Barre, JOD 35, Lionel Baud, France
J/24 Class
1) Mt. Gay Bunga Bunga, Charlie Gloumeau, Barbados
2) Sugar Beach Attitude, Frederic Sweeney, St. Lucia
3) College Funds, Paul Johnson, Barbados
Surprise Class
1) Clippers Ship, Nicolas Poix, France
2) Digilife, Vianney Saintenoy, France
3) ADSL O Net, Gabriel Bouvard/Philippe Kerriou, France
Single-Handed Round Bequia Race
CSA Class: Mt. Gay Bunga Bunga, Charlie Gloumeau, Barbados
Non-CSA Class: Curandera, Swan 48, Scott Mills, USA
DOUBLE-ENDERS
Class 1
1) O Connie, Evan John, Bequia
2) Witness, Ryan Marks, Bequia
Class 2
1) My Way, Mike Marks, Bequia
2) D Shark, Hudson Williams, Canouan
3) Never D, Alphaeus Osborne, Bequia
Class 4
1) Ark Royal, Javin Morgan, Bequia
2) Liberty, Robin Hobson, Bequia
Class 5
1) Nerissa J 1, Matthew MacLaurean, Canouan
2) Camille, Verol Compton, Bequia
3) Nerissa J 2, Vernon Laidlow, Canouan
Class 6
1) Eclipse, Kimani James, Bequia
2) Iron Duke, Macneil Farrell, Bequia
Class 7
1) Skyler, Hope Deroche, Carriacou
2) Crystal Claire, Chris Thompson, Bequia
3) (tie) Bequia Pride, Arnold Hazell, Bequia
3) (tie) Confusion, Wayne Gooding, Bequia
Above: Parliamentary Representative Dr. Lorraine Friday with Alphaeus Osborne
of double-enders Class 2
Below: The crew of yachts’ Cruising 1 victor, Rasmus, receives a handcrafted
model Bequia double-ender from SVG Minister of Tourism Cecil McKie
ANTIGUA CLASSIC YACHT REGATTA 2014
ONNE VAN DER WAL / PANERAI
Above: And they’re off! Never too old to rock ’n’ roll,
the belles of yore gather every year to race in Antigua
Conditions this year weren’t geriatric, either…
Juno at marks. We were cheering each other on all
the way around the course and, at the finish, we
were just a few seconds apart. The Classic is a truly
amazing regatta.”
For full results visit antiguaclassics.com
See Steve Manley’s Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta
2014 photo essay on page 24.
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
regatta to take the class title by just one point from Scott
Franz’s 72-foot Herreshoff, Ticonderoga.
The Classic Class A duel between the 74-foot Van de
Stadt yawl Stormvogel and the 105-foot Bruce King
ketch Whitehawk was also decided in the last race:
Whitehawk took the gun and the prize.
Overall victory as well as first place in the Classic
Class went to Whitehawk, which received an Officine
Panerai watch. Other overall prizes went to Nazgull of
Fordell (Spirit of Tradition), Genesis (Best Elapsed
Time) and Desiderata (Classic GRP).
Gerald Rainer describes himself as the “caretaker”
of the stunning 1925-built, 65-foot Herreshoff Mary
Rose, winner of the last race and Vintage Class B.
Gerald says, “People come from all over the world
because this is a very special regatta. The racing this
year has been exceptional. Take today: we raced for
three hours and kept meeting with Ticonderoga and
JUNE 2014
Sixty-four of the world’s most splendid sailing craft
participated in Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta 2014,
held April 17th through 22nd. Entries included such
notable racers of yore as the seminal 1929 S&S
Dorade, Herreshoff’s iconic 1936 Ticonderoga, and the
1960s ocean-racing legend Stormvogel.
Yachts competed in five classes: Vintage, Classics,
Traditional (Carriacou Sloops), Classic GRP and Spirit
of Tradition. Competitors ranged in size from the
26-foot Harrison Butler sloop Cora to the 157-foot
Klaus Röder schooner Chronos.
In Vintage Class C, Michael Jarrald’s 1904 British
66-foot cutter, Lily Maid, had an outstanding regatta,
winning all four races and taking the overall Vintage
Class title. Robert Soros’ American Nat Benjamin 65,
Juno, also claimed a perfect set of results, as did
Eleda, Ross Gannon’s 45-foot double-headsail sloop.
Several classes were decided on the last day. Wind
shifts made an impact on performance on the windward course, featuring a reaching start with a tricky
reverse triangle and a reach finish.
In Vintage Class A, Carlo Falcone’s 1936 Alfred Mylnedesigned 79-foot ketch, Mariella, won the last race of the
LUCY TULLOCH
‘A TRULY AMAZING REGATTA’
PAGE 17
47TH ANTIGUA SAILING WEEK
Challenges Being Met Both On
and Off the Race Course
JUNE 2014
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 18
by Louay Habib
TIM WRIGHT / WWW.PHOTOACTION.COM (2)
THE BEST FOR LAST
Kernan 47, True, into third. Robert Date’s Australian
RP52, Scarlet Runner, was always in the mix and the
four high-performance yachts enjoyed a tremendous
battle all week. Tonnerre may have won every race but
several were decided by just seconds. What is more,
the three other yachts mentioned above enjoyed a terrific fight on the water and that may have been their
undoing: while Tonnerre sailed its own race, the three
other yachts were constantly engaging in skirmishes,
which, in the big picture, slowed them down.
“We have had a tremendous Caribbean series and
the racing has been very enjoyable. We don’t come to
Antigua Sailing Week for the trophies, we come here to
race against good competition in ideal racing conditions,” commented Piet Vroon. “Winning the Lord
Nelson Trophy is a great way to end the season.”
Mike Slade’s 100-foot Maxi, ICAP Leopard, and Andy
Budgen’s Volvo 70, Monster Project, were also racing in
Class Zero — an impressive sight and proof that the
world’s fastest yachts can compete at Antigua Sailing
Week. But more of that later.
Antiguan dentist Bernie Evan-Wong, racing his
Mumm 36, High Tension, had a champagne regatta,
winning so many trophies that they needed all of the
crew to lift them: Best Caribbean Yacht Start Boat A,
Best Antiguan Yacht Start Boat A, Winner of CSA 4.
However, probably the most significant trophy won by
High Tension was the Black & White Trophy for the
Best Yacht in the Most Competitive Class. High
Tension won the last race by just 14 seconds to win the
class, with three yachts nipping at its heels: Marc
Fitzgerald racing the Cork 1720 Team Sojana; Ian
Hope Ross’s Melges 32, Kick ’em Jenny 2; and John
Gifford’s Melges 24, AMCON.
They keep on coming — ASW is a winner
Antigua Sailing Week has fought back from a crushing setback in 2009 — to not only survive, but to flourish. Having visited nine regattas in the Caribbean in
the 2014 season, I can safely say that the best allround regatta was Antigua Sailing Week. The 47th
edition was extremely well run and highly competitive,
and this produced an excellent atmosphere both on
the race course and ashore.
In 2009, Stanford Bank collapsed, dealing a double blow to Antigua. On an island already gripped in
a worldwide recession, many Antiguans had savings
in the bank, which was also the island’s biggest private employer. The bank was also the title sponsor
for Antigua Sailing Week and that funding was also
lost — dark times for one of the Caribbean’s longest
running regattas.
However, the regatta has been rebuilt and sometimes starting from scratch can have its advantages.
In 2010, Antigua Sailing Week started a Regatta
Organising Committee, which now runs the regatta,
led by Kathy Lammers as Racing Chairman and Alison
Sly-Adams as Commercial Director. The organization
delivers a regatta that rivals any other worldwide. The
new strapline for the regatta, “Where Sailing Comes
First”, may appear to be stating the obvious, but for
Antigua Sailing Week’s organizers, it’s an essential
part of the strategy.
Piet Vroon’s Dutch Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens 3,
was the star of the show, lifting the Lord Nelson
Trophy for best performance by any yacht in CSA division. Scoring straight bullets in CSA Zero, the big boat
class winner beat Team Varg’s Spanish TP52, Baleria,
into second place and Leo van den Thillart’s American
Tonnerre de Breskens 3 ‘sailed its own
race’ to dominate CSA Zero and take the
CSA division’s Lord Nelson Trophy
Mini Mart
Laundry Service
Book Exchange
Sail Loft/Canvas Shop
Black Pearl Restaurant
!
iving boats
h for all arr
c
n
u
P
m
u
Free R
Blue Lagoon Hotel & Marina
(Formerly Sunsail Marine Center)
Nestled in the quiet waters
of Blue Lagoon in Ratho Mill,
St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Tel: 1 784 458 4308 | VHF: 16 / 68
bluelagoon@k-group.vc
MARINA RATES:
Dockage per foot per day:
Monohull $0.77 Catamaran US$1.15
Gasoline and Diesel are available dockside
at the government regulated price
Beach Bar & Restaurant
Taxi Service
Bathrooms / Showers
Charter Services
Free Open Wifi
Fuel Dock
Car Rental Service
24hrs security
A/C Power 110/220
Provisioning Services
Bernie was understandably emotional at the prizegiving. “It is an unbelievable end to a fantastic season!
High Tension has competed at six Caribbean regattas,
all of the big ones, and to finish off on home soil, win-
way we can in getting more Antiguans and Barbudans
involved in the yachting industry. In previous years,
much of Antigua Sailing Week’s focus locally has been
about the parties, and while this is a very important
part of any sailing regatta, the current organizing team
TIM WRIGHT / WWW.PHOTOACTION.COM
has shifted the focus so that people can see the opportunities that exist to get involved on the water.”
The 2014 edition of Antigua Sailing Week was a great
success and the changes made to the regatta since the
Regatta Organising Committee took over in 2010 are
bearing fruit. But one area remains to be conquered.
This year the regatta attracted just over 100 yachts,
roughly the same as last year but way down on the
250-yacht fleets of its heyday. Two distinct ways that
this number can be increased are via bareboat charters and big boat attendance.
Regatta sponsor Sunsail ramped up their interest in
the regatta this year, especially as the charter yachts
available were sold out. Sunsail is considering making
more boats available in Antigua for next season, and
there is no doubt that if more boats were made available then the number of bareboats participating in the
regatta would increase.
Earlier in the season, a large number of high-profile
yachts were in Antigua, taking part in the Superyacht
Challenge Antigua, the RORC Caribbean 600 and the
Oyster regatta. However only a minority of these
yachts raced at Antigua Sailing Week. This is because
most of them had already left the Caribbean for the
USA or Europe. Perhaps it is worth considering moving Antigua Sailing Week to an earlier date in the
season (just before the RORC Caribbean 600, for
example). Opponents may say that will shorten the
season, but why not run a dinghy and sportboat
regatta at the end of the season, which will bring in
sailors from overseas and let the local talent enjoy a
regatta against foreign opposition? If the big boats
return in numbers, the profile of Antigua Sailing Week
will increase, attracting more club class entries.
For full results www.sailingweek.com.
PAGE 19
1984
Since
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
ning so many of the trophies that I have wanted to win
all my life. It’s like a dream come true! The crew have
been just grand all season but to win at Antigua
Sailing Week, against very well sailed boats, it is just
the icing on the cake.”
CSA 7 produced a clear winner: Dave Cullen’s
J/109, Pocket Rocket, scored seven straight bullets
but was beaten in the last race by the Norwegian
entry, Aage Kristensen’s Frileans. Pocket Rocket was
in contention for the Lord Nelson Trophy until the
last race but Dave Cullen was overwhelmed by the
regatta. “I have won the trophy in the past but we
haven’t been back to the regatta recently because
there were a lot of problems in Antigua, which I am
delighted to say have been sorted out. Congratulations
to the organizers for producing a fine regatta, with
great racing and an excellent atmosphere ashore. If
you had asked me a few years ago about Sailing
Week, I wouldn’t have been very complimentary but
Sailing Week is back where it belongs, one of the best
regattas in the world.”
While competitors came to Antigua Sailing Week
from 23 different countries, the grassroots development of sailing in Antigua is a sign that the sport
is growing among locals. Over 250 children attend
the National Sailing Academy and many of the
Antiguan coaches and pupils were racing at Antigua
Sailing Week.
Commercial Director Alison Sly-Adams, comments:
“Aside from creating a fantastic experience both on
and off the water for Antigua Sailing Week, what lies
at the core of our objectives is to assist in whatever
Barefoot Yacht Charters & Marine Centre
BAREBOAT CHARTERS - FULLY CREWED CHARTERS - ASA SAILING SCHOOL
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
JUNE 2014
While ‘Sailing Comes First’ — as demonstrated at left
by CSA Class 7 winner Pocket Rocket — parties are
always part of the Antigua Sailing Week mix.
This year, Shaggy wowed the crowd at a show
sponsored by local favourite English Harbour Rum
Doyle Sail Loft & Canvas Shop
Mechanical & Electrical Repairs
Vehicle Rentals
Ice & Water
Island Tours
Quiksilver Surf Wear
On-site Accommodation
•
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•
•
•
•
•
Raymarine Electronics
Fibreglass Repairs
Showers
Diesel & Propane
Surftech Surf Shop
Restaurant & Bar
Wi-Fi / Internet Café
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Refrigeration Work
Laundry
Air Travel
Moorings
Hotel Reservations
Boutique
Book Exchange
PO Box 39, Blue Lagoon, St Vincent, West Indies
Tel. 1-784-456-9526 / 9334 / 9144 Fax. 1-784-456-9238
barebum@vincysurf.com
www.barefootyachts.com
CHANGING
SEASONS
A major part of cruising is the people you meet. When Cherub (at left in the photo
above) and Silverheels (at right) were anchorage neighbors, hanging with sailing
artist/designer Paul Johnson (below) was a memorable experience
for sailing writer Tor Pinney
JUNE 2014
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 20
As we hit June — the so-called “sailing season” is past and the “hurricane season”
hasn’t yet commenced — the crews of four different boats look back at their favorite
memories of winter 2013-14, and share their plans for the coming summer.
Tor Pinney, Silverheels
My best 2013 Caribbean cruising memory is befriending sailing legend Paul
Johnson in Carriacou. Our boats, Cherub and Silverheels, were anchorage neighbors
in Tyrell Bay for most of the five months I was hanging out there. During that time
we shared many a sea story in his cockpit or in mine. Well, mostly he shared and I
listened. Paul had better stories, and lots more of them.
Frankly, I’m surprised we hadn’t met sooner. We’ve likely been in the same harbor
more than once over the years, and we have several friends in common. In fact, I first
heard of Paul Johnson from two of them, Bermudian sailors, in Coconut Grove in
the early 1970s. They were raving about his Venus sailboat designs: strong, fast
double-enders that I then began to notice more and more. People have always
tended to mention Paul with a kind of awe, usually in connection with his brazen
sailing exploits: an Atlantic crossing in an 18-foot lapstrake gaffer when he was 16,
his 30-something transatlantics since then, his celebrity-strewn boatbuilding shop
in St. Barths, the seemingly endless stream of beautiful women and the passel of
children scattered around the world. Then there was his famous shipwreck in the
South Pacific and countless adventures and misadventures before and since. Those
in the know also praise Paul’s rich, tropical paintings and prints, one of which now
brightens Silverheels’ salon.
I suppose I appreciate Paul Johnson most for his indomitable good nature, his open
friendliness, and his endlessly entertaining stories. Oh, the stories! I’m still laughing!
Here’s hoping we cross paths again before too long.
For the summer, I have sailed Silverheels back to Green Cove Springs Marina, my
home port boatyard on the St. Johns River in northeast Florida, four months and
1,800 nautical miles since leaving Carriacou the day after New Year’s. It’s time for
the other side of cruising: some months of refreshing, renewing, refitting and reprovisioning this good old 42-foot ketch so we can get on back to the Caribbean
again right after hurricane season.
Kevin and Christine Gooch, Sweet Sensation
Our best cruising experience of this season was a trip with Cutty’s Taxis & Tours
to Levera Beach in the far northeast of Grenada, the third largest turtle-nesting site
in the Caribbean. It’s well organized, with a visitor centre where a volunteer gave us
a very informative talk about leatherbacks and some rules about turtle watching so
we wouldn’t disturb any that came ashore to lay eggs. At the nesting site itself,
researchers are on hand to answer questions, count the number of eggs and mark
the nesting site.
Explore. Dream. Discover.
TradeWinds is looking for a
Marketing Manager
TradeWinds is a successful yacht chartering company with a difference.
We operate traditional weekly crewed charters as well as a Private
Members Club which offers its guests an all-Inclusive, fully crewed
week-long vacation.
TradeWinds operates in destinations across the world but its main
activities are located in the Caribbean, and we are now looking to
hire a Marketing Manager to join our growing team.
As Marketing Manager you will be responsible for
marketing online services in order to attract new
clients to our Rental Charter division. The goal of the
position is to generate sufficient quality and quantity
of leads to attract vacationers to experience a
TradeWinds charter. You will need to have commercial
ability, creative flair and a focus on delivering results.
JUNE 2014
A pro-active, team-focused work ethic is essential.
You will be expected to take a multi-channel marketing
approach across email, social media, digital media and
SEO, building partnerships, direct mail, PR, advertising and
events, which are all designed to drive and deliver results.
Like most cruisers, Christine and Kevin on Sweet Sensation have a fascination with
our marine environment and the creatures with whom we share it.
Seeing a leatherback turtle lay its eggs on a moonlit beach was unforgettable
15 Years
PAGE 21
The moon was already high when we arrived at the nesting site, illuminating the
low white surf breaking on the long sandy beach. We stood on the sand for an
hour, straining our eyes to look for a turtle emerging from the surf, hugging our
arms across our chests against the slightly chilly onshore breeze. We were beginning to think that we would be unlucky and no turtles would come ashore that
night when Cutty spotted a large black mound moving very slowly up the beach
and what looked like caterpillar tracks in the sand behind her where she was dragging herself along.
Using her flippers she dug a large hollow in the sand and then a deeper well
behind herself to lay the eggs in. While turtles are laying their eggs they go into a
kind of trance and at this point our guide said we could touch her if we wanted to.
I didn’t (I was afraid I would over-balance at the edge of the depression and fall on
top of the turtle!) but one of the other ladies said the shell felt surprisingly smooth
and satiny — not as hard and leathery as their name would suggest. Once the
turtle had finished laying, she used her back flippers to fill in the hole and then
flicked sand with her front ones to disguise the hollow in the sand before heaving
herself back down the beach and into the ocean. Watching her was an emotional
experience, especially when we considered that this has been happening since the
time of the dinosaurs.
We are now back in the UK visiting family and friends and working to top up the
cruising fund. Sweet Sensation is laid up ashore in Trinidad waiting for us to return
in November and set off north to the USA and Canada, where we plan to become
“Loopers”, travelling the whole of the Great Circle Route via the Intracoastal
Waterway from Florida to New York, through the Great Lakes, back down the
Mississippi and the Tenn-Tom Canal to Mobile, Alabama before heading back to
Florida to complete the loop and then back south through the Caribbean to Tobago,
arriving approximately 8,000 miles and 18 months later.
Mark Denebeim, Sanctuary
I used to cruise the Caribbean full time but soon was back on land on the beautiful island of Dominica. In less than a year, I completed building a treetop, all woodand-stone house in the rainforest (and opened The Peanut Farm Bar & Grill), and
improved access by land for visitors to Syndicate Falls — all while establishing a
busy catamaran day-sailing charter business aboard Sanctuary.
In order to satisfy my yearning for longer-range cruising, however, I annually
embark on two Caribbean Walkabouts offering weekly charters and “cruiseabout”
the Caribbean: south to the Grenadines in September/October and north to St.
Barths in March/April. Each voyage is about 400 miles or more roundtrip.
My Winter 2013-14 Exceptional Memory was this year’s trip north, which continued in full force upon my return to Dominica. See if you can keep up with five
straight weeks of sailing action from St. Martin to Martinique:
March 19th to 23rd: Solo sail from Dominica to Deshaies, Guadeloupe; to
Falmouth Harbor, Antigua; to Barbuda; to St. Barths.
March 23rd to 31st: Sail from St. Barths to St. Maarten and back twice, picking
up and dropping off six females from Florida who lived aboard while we enjoyed the
Bucket Regatta festivities. Anchored at Baie St. Jean and Gustavia and in the
Simpson Bay Lagoon, having memorable party times in St. Maarten at La Bamba
and in St. Barths, including a risqué evening at Le Ti.
April 1st to 7th: Sail with three male friends from St. Maarten to Dominica, stopping at St. Barths and Montserrat, then opting for a night sail to Deshaies. In
Deshaies, a trip to the Botanical Gardens was a must, as was a day in Les Saintes,
if only to load up on French cookies and red wine.
—Continued on page 45
Please send an introductory email along with your
résumé to: garry@trade-winds.com
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
If you are a Marketing Professional with experience in the
leisure or yacht chartering industry and looking to join a
successful and exciting growing business, contact us for
full details!
SAILORS’ HIKES BY CHRIS DOYLE
The two short Marigot Ridge Hikes in St. Lucia that I described
in Compass some four years ago (www.caribbeancompass.com/
online/july10compass_online.pdf) have now been linked to make
one super hike with great views over Marigot Bay.
For a preview of the hike, look to the north as you sail into the
bay. The Marigot Ridge Hike extends from a high point above
and a bit west of Doolittle’s restaurant at Marigot Beach Club to
the really high part above Rainforest Hideaway, the restaurant
on the north side of the inner harbour.
The hike is part of a national park and the highest point is
about 600 feet. It takes about an hour to an hour and half and
is very steep in places (fixed rope hand-holds help). It can be a
bit of a scramble, so, while not really hard, you need some agility and shoes with a good grip are almost essential.
While you can do the trail either way round, I suggest starting
at the Rainforest Hideaway end as this is the steepest part and
is probably easier in some ways to climb than to descend. It also
gets the hardest part of the trail over with first. Dock at
Rainforest Hideaway and walk up the trail to Marigot Inn right
above. If someone is around they can direct you to Ladies Gate;
Judith Verity of Rainforest Hideaway and her team have been
really nice and kind about this. If no one is around, walk round
the east side of the building, head uphill and find it yourself.
From Ladies Gate the path is very clear and looks like an engineer designed it, as it goes directly and almost in a straight line
to the top of the ridge. It can be slippery and is very steep in
places. At Stairway to Heaven, where the going gets tough, ropes
have been tied in place to provide you with a good handhold.
Watch out also for hermit crabs! This is typical habitat for
them and footsteps can make them retreat into their shell, upon
which they often lose traction and start rolling downhill, which
has led some hikers to believe that the trail is littered with
aggressive little rocks determined to attack them.
When you reach the summit, turn left and follow the ridge for a
short while; you will find a wooden meditation platform with a
panoramic view. When you are rested, carry on down the wooded
ridge. The only steep part is JoJo’s Steps. The rope handholds
help, but when my friend Anne and I did this hike one bit of rope
must have been serving as boat rope somewhere and we had to do
a bit of backside sliding — the rope should be back in place by the
time you get there.
It does not take long to get to Fork Thomas. At this junction,
follow the signpost to Pelchat Point Lookout. This offers wonderful
views back over Marigot Bay and you can rest on a bench. From
here, return to Fork Thomas and take the Oasis Trail, which
brings you down to the Billy Goat Trail Head. Here you enter the
Oasis Development, and unless you make special arrangements
they generally shut the gate around sunset. In case you get stuck,
the Doolittle’s phone numbers are (758) 458-3323 and 451-4974.
Once through the gate, head down and east till you come to the
nifty little tramway — go down to the bottom and come out into
Doolittle’s. Looking over the bay, this is a perfect spot to stop for
a drink to assuage the thirst you have worked up (happy hour is
1700 to 1900 hours) or for a meal to restore your energy.
Walk out onto the sandspit and in the northeastern corner
look for the lovely wooden walkway that runs behind the mangroves back to Rainforest Hideaway. This is also a good place for
a celebratory dinner, if you haven’t already dined at Doolittle’s,
but you must book in advance (286-0511 or 451-4485) as they
get full quickly.
St. Lucia’s Marigot Bay has become increasingly builtup in recent years, but this hike right from the shore
will take you into the forest for a natural perspective
Above: St. Lucia Yacht Club
Secretary Anne Purvis takes a
breather on the Stairway to Heaven
Right: At the end of the hike, a little
tramway will take you back to civilization — and a well-deserved cold
drink on the bayside
ALL PHOTOS: CHRIS DOYLE
PAGE 22
St. Lucia’s New Marigot Ridge Hike
JUNE 2014
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 23
ANTIGUA CLASSIC YACHT REGATTA 2014
A high-seas battle in 20- to 30-knot winds,
the Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta
Definitely…
was wet and wild.
NOT DEAD CALM
NO,
I did not search out Nicole Kidman’s dainties. Just as
well: Ian Hulleman, captain of the 74-foot Van de
Stadt ketch Stormvogel — storied race winner since
her 1961 launch, and featured in the 1989 film “Dead
Calm” — tells me the pair said to hang belowdecks is… just a rumour.
Besides, the duel between Stormvogel and Whitehawk was far too exciting
to waste on a knicker hunt. In one corner, Stormvogel’s Hulleman — the
affable, 28-year-old, foul-mouthed-at-the-helm Kiwi. (No quotes here; this is
a family magazine.) His pickup crew: a mostly youthful collection of cruising
When Receta reaches
friends and a few (unpaid for this) professional skippers. Slick under presspeedy WiFi,
sure — like when the mainsheet car exploded off the end of the traveller in
Steve Manley will post more
Race Two. (Insert expletives here.) But wrestled and jury-rigged, under conClassic photos
trol in a heartbeat. In the other corner, the 1978, 105-foot ketch Whitehawk,
on his website,
sporting a covey of (dare I say, aging) yacht-racing rock stars (Robbie Doyle,
CaribbeanPhotoSource.com
tactician, for one). Never a voice raised, until perhaps the cheer at awards
night. In the end, age, waterline, and ample reaching legs prevailed, and
Whitehawk edged out Stormvogel in the final race, also winning the regatta Pretty as a picture: Launched in 1902 and rebuilt in 2005, 82-foot schooner Coral of Cowes finished
and walking offstage with the coveted Panerai watch from the event’s prime second to Mary Rose, but bested 1924 83-foot Fife schooner Adventuress (left), restored in 2012
sponsor.
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 24
Stormvogel’s Ian Hulleman: ‘Our old girl showed her stuff’
In the details:
Whitehawk also won
the Concours d’Elégance
JUNE 2014
Photographer
Steve Manley reports from
the decks of
The Blue Peter, Stormvogel,
Whitehawk
and Rainbow.
Coming through:
175 tons of
Rainbow, barking
at the heels of
52-foot Lilly Bolero
Frolic, indeed: the Luders 44 Frolic
steams through steep seas flying a
chute from her mizzen
Merely magnificent: 130-foot J Class yacht
Rainbow racing in cruising mode. No chute,
and only 24 crew including her permanent
crew of seven, 11 of the owner’s friends
visiting from the Netherlands, a couple of
cruisers, and some local Antiguans
Silent but deadly: Whitehawk’s soft-spoken
brain trust included tactical guru Robbie
Doyle, attached to his iPad, and Jamie Hilton
at the helm
All hands on deck: Stormvogel
salutes a passing Rainbow
On the mark: Antigua-based 64.5-foot Nat Herreshoffdesign Mary Rose survives under Stormvogel to maintain
her inside overlap. She won her division (1-1-2-1)
JUNE 2014
What’s wrong with this picture?
Knot practice on the 72-foot Francis
Herreshoff ketch Ticonderoga
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 25
No yelling: Owner
Mat Barker won
the single-handed
race aboard his
65-ft. 1940
Alfred Milne sloop
No less fun: Rainbow covered the course in less time than anyone,
taking line honours in every race. Bridget Denning, Rainbow’s chef,
makes a fine mainsheet trimmer; with her father Robert, tactician,
and captain Mark Stapley
Heading West for the Hurricane Season
Part Two:
Jamaica to Panama
by Don Street
South-East Cay lies 1.2 miles SSW of North-East Cay. Sand spits, which extend from
its ends, alter in shape with the seasons of the year; in summer the SW spit is washed
away and deposited on the W side of the cay. South-West Cay lies 1 mile SW of SouthEast Cay. A rocky ledge extending from the cay is used as a pier. A dangerous wreck,
with a depth of 1.4m, lies 0.7 mile NW of South-East Cay.
Caution: The cays have been the scene of many wrecks, therefore, the greatest caution must be exercised when navigating in their vicinity.
Stepping Stones
A vast underwater plateau stretches from Jamaica to Cabo Gracias a Dios,
Nicaragua, and small cays and reefs protruding from it provide an irregular series of
stepping stones along this route.
JUNE 2014
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 26
The Caribbean offers many good summertime cruising options. Although Grenada
and Trinidad are popular summer destinations, and some boats have fled to the US or
Europe, there is no reason the sailor has to abandon the Caribbean or hunker down
in one place for the hurricane season.
Last month, I outlined a cruise heading north and west along the Antilles chain to
the Dominican Republic and Haiti then cutting south to the ABC islands, where you
can spend the summer cruising these islands or carry on to Colombia and Panama,
well south of the hurricane area.
From Haiti, the adventurous and confident “eyeball navigator” can also continue
sailing westward, to Jamaica and the more remote islands of the southwestern
Caribbean, a route that we’ll discuss now.
Sailing westward from Haiti, you can visit Jamaica, and possibly explore the
Morant Cays and Southwest Cay on San Pedro Bank, then head south to Seranna,
Seranilla, Roncador and the Quita Sueño Bank. Next come the Colombian islands of
Providencia and San Andrés — interesting stops. Try the Albuquerque Cays or the
Corn Islands off the Nicaraguan coast, then head southeast to Panama. This route
presents the sailor with a whole new summertime area to explore.
From Ile-à-Vache, Haiti, it is only about 90 miles to the island of Navassa.
However, this island and its waters for 12 nautical miles around are a US National
Wildlife Refuge, which, owing to its importance as a reference site that hosts coral
reefs undamaged by human impact, as well as a number of unique species, is currently off limits to visitors. Navassa has been a US possession since being claimed
for his nation by a sea captain in 1857. There is an anchorage off the island’s southwest tip that can be used in an emergency. If you must anchor there, if possible
notify the Fish and Wildlife Service Office in Boquerón, Puerto Rico (tel [787] 8517258) of your presence.
Jamaica and the Morant Cays
It’s about 150 miles from Ile-à-Vache to the protected harbor of Port Morant,
Jamaica. According to Noonsite (www.noonsite.com/Countries/Jamaica/
BowdenHarbour) it’s an official port of entry, but you might be charged to bring the
officials from Kingston.
Jamaica, the Morant Cays and the Pedro Bank are covered by the late John
Lethbridge’s A Yachtsman’s Guide to Jamaica. Published in 1996, it is now out of
print, but do your best to find a copy. I regard it as one of the finest cruising guides
ever written. If you find a copy, cross reference it with Frank Virgintino’s Free
Cruising Guide to the area (see freecruisingguides.com/jamaica), as Frank’s shoreside information will be much more up to date. In Frank’s guide you will find some
information pulled from Lethbridge’s guide (with permission from his heirs) and also
sailing directions from Ile-à-Vache. The NOAA charts of the south coast of Jamaica
are 26150 and 26127.
Regarding the Morant Cays, southeast of Jamaica, the US NGA Sailing
Directions caution:
Morant Cays are low-lying, mostly uninhabited, and fronted by reefs over which the
sea constantly breaks. They are reported radar conspicuous at 10 miles. Morant Cays
are to be approached with caution. Currents in their vicinity are quite irregular both
with regard to set and velocity (the latter having reached 3 knots), such that vessels
navigating within their proximity at night are advised to pass well to the N.
North-East Cay is sometimes divided into three parts, the sea washing over the connecting sand spits. Several huts and a water tank stand on the S side of the cay. A
coral head, with a depth of 3.2m, lies 0.5 mile W of the cay. A light is shown from
Breezy Point on North-East Cay. A depth of 26.5m was reported 20 miles W of NorthEast Cay.
This antique map clearly shows
the seldom-visited islands that
form stepping stones between
Jamaica and Nicaragua
Bajo Nuevo, Serrana, Serranilla and Roncador — the last where the three-masted
USS Kearsarge of US Civil War fame was wrecked in 1894 en route from Haiti to
Nicaragua — are sometimes known as the Guano Islands. They were claimed by the
US by Act of Congress in 1853 and were occupied off and on by US personnel until
they were turned over to Colombia in the early 1980s.
They were charted by both the US and British in the middle of the 19th century.
With great difficulty and some expense, I have managed to obtain from the archives
of both countries copies of the surveys of these islands. All four islands appear to
provide a tolerable anchorage for a well-handled yacht with a navigator who is good
at reef piloting and a crewmember aloft to eyeball the reefs. (With a crewmember
on the lower spreader everything is perfectly clear; this is the reason I feel all cruising boats should have steps on the mast to the first spreader.) Back in the early
1890s the captain of the Kearsarge reported that the currents around these
islands were strong and erratic, impossible to predict — probably the reason the
ship was wrecked.
According to Hart and Stone’s A Cruising Guide to the Caribbean and the Bahamas
(also out of print but worth searching for), at Serranilla Bank, you can anchor in the
lee of a curving reef that makes out from Beacon Cay. At Serrana Bank, the anchorage at South Cay Channel offers “surprisingly good shelter”.
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Tel/Fax: (473) 443-9110
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Quita Sueño Bank extends 30 miles in a north-south direction. This area provides
excellent exploring and diving for multihulls and shoal draft monohulls, while being
aware of the strong currents.
Above: San Andrés, now a part of Colombia, is a holiday destination with historic
ties to the English-speaking Caribbean
Left: The 1894 loss of the USS Kearsarge on Roncador Reef is a warning
of the area’s erratic currents
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VHF Channel 5
PAGE 27
to lay up your boat in either the marina in Boca del Toro, or in Shelter Bay Marina
at the Caribbean end of the Panama Canal. Panama is the hub for COPA Airlines,
and flights to a wide variety of destinations in North, Central and South America,
and in the Caribbean (including Aruba, Colombia, Cuba and Trinidad) are frequent,
making this an excellent place for crew and summer visitors to join you or to take
a trip yourself.
For adventurous sailors who have spent years cruising the Eastern Caribbean and
are looking for new places to cruise but do not want to do the Pacific-and-round-theworld routine, the western Caribbean certainly provides many years of new and
interesting anchorages to explore. If I were 40 years younger I would be heading
there rather than racing a 76-year-old Dragon in Ireland!
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
Shelter Bay Marina, one of several marinas in Panama now welcoming
visiting yachts
JUNE 2014
All of these islands should be approached from the west after 1200 and before
1600 hours. The charted positions may not be accurate; the latitude will probably
be correct, but longitude may be off by two or three miles. You may be able to pull
an island up on Google Maps and obtain a correct GPS position. I am told that these
islands have been re-surveyed by the Colombian Navy. If the modern charts can be
obtained it would certainly make exploring this area much easier.
Former charter skipper Dave Ferneding, who spent a lot of his time in the western
Caribbean, comments on these isles: “They are all uncrowded, and we found no need
for exact coordinates as all the reefs have wrecks planted high out of the water for
eyeball bearings. Fresh fish for dinner is guaranteed.” But things change, and today
the archipelago including Serrana, Quita Sueño, Roncador, Providencia, San Andrés,
et al, is the Seaflower Marine Protected Area, reportedly containing the largest, most
productive open-ocean coral reefs in the Caribbean, and only indigenous people are
allowed to fish there. A few cruisers have advised me that at certain times of the year
the authorities frequently patrol the MPA.
South of Quita Sueño Bank we get back on the charts either from Tides End or
the British Admiralty, both of which will be based on surveys done in the middle of
the 19th century, so eyeball navigation is required. If you can find the Colombian
Navy charts, use them, but still rely on eyeball navigation. Forget about GPS and
chart plotters!
Colombia’s Vacation Islands
About 60 miles from Quita Sueño Bank comes Providencia, then San Andrés and
the Albuquerque Cays — all highly regarded as vacation islands by Colombians.
They all provide good anchorages. Cayo Bolivar is best visited by high-speed dive
boat from the Albuquerque Cays. Sixty miles to the west are the Corn Islands, Great
Corn and Little Corn. Both are about 40 miles east of the Nicaraguan coast and
small cruise ships and excursion boats occasionally visit them from Nicaragua. The
NOAA charts of San Andrés, Cayo Albuquerque, Cayo Bolivar, and Little and Great
Corn Islands are 28130, 28120 and 28110.
One hundred and fifty miles to the south is Boca del Toro, Panama, with a modern
marina and hauling facility. There are 40 miles of sheltered cruising to the east of
Boca del Toro with dozens more islands and uncrowded anchorages to explore.
Panama
The Panamanian coast stretches 250 miles eastwards from Boca del Toro to the
Colombian border. Two guides, one by Nancy and Tom Zydler and one by Eric
Bauhaus, superbly cover this area. Both guides are excellent. Buy both from either
Landfall or Bluewater Books, and cross-reference. The small charts in the above
guides are excellent, so there is no need to purchase detailed charts. But do purchase general charts (from BA or Tides End) covering large areas so that you can lay
out courses if you are doing long passages from one area to another.
All the experienced sailors that I know who have cruised this coast recommend it.
They say it is like the Eastern Caribbean was in the 1960s and ’70s. It is possible
Selected On-Line
Weather Sources
JUNE 2014
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
INGA BEITZ
PAGE 28
“Red sky at night…” When was the last time you really
looked at the sky during happy hour? For that matter, when was the last time you
even tapped the barometer? Yet weather prediction occupies a large part of a
Caribbean sailor’s attention — especially at this time of year.
According to Wikipedia, it was not until the invention of the electric telegraph in
1835 that the modern age of weather forecasting began. Before this time, it was not
widely practicable to transport information about the current state of the weather
any faster than a steam train (and the train also was a very new technology at that
time). By the late 1840s, the telegraph allowed reports of weather conditions from a
wide area to be received almost instantaneously, allowing forecasts to be made from
knowledge of weather conditions farther upwind… In the United States, the first
public radio forecasts were made in 1925 on WEEI, the Edison Electric Illuminating
station in Boston. Television forecasts followed in Cincinnati in 1940 or 1947 on the
DuMont Television Network. The Weather Channel is a 24-hour cable network that
began broadcasting in 1982, and sailors have been known to cluster around
Caribbean beach-bar TVs during hurricane season.
The technology used to disseminate weather forecasts is continually evolving.
Although it’s been a very long time since people tried seriously to predict the weather by examining onion skins or seeing whether or not the groundhog went back in
his hole, it has also been a while since mariners routinely listened to good old WWV
radio for marine storm warnings (Atlantic high seas warnings are still broadcast by
WWV at eight and nine minutes after the hour on 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 20 Mhz),
because they no longer need WWV’s “time ticks” to ensure the timing accuracy of
sextant sights. The use of once-popular weatherfax has to a great extent been
replaced by GRIB (GRIdded Binary) files.
Although SSB radio is still indispensable, today, with WiFi so widely available
in the Caribbean, increasing numbers of sailors get their weather information
from on-line sources. Here we present a selection that various Caribbean cruisers
have recommended.
2014 Carriacou Maroon
& String Band Music Festival
The organizers of the 2014 Carriacou Maroon & String Band
Music Festival express sincere appreciation to all those persons,
organizations, institutions and establishments who in one way or
another contributed to its success. Among those whose contributions were positively impactful are the following:
• Grenada Tourism Authority
• Ministry of Carriacou & Petite Martinique Affairs
• Grenada Electricity Services Ltd. (GRENLEC)
• Netherlands Insurance Co (WI) Ltd.
• Republic Bank Grenada Limited
• Craigston Great House
• National Lottery Authority
• Grenada Public Service Cooperative Credit Union
• The Kingsman Family
• Grenada Cultural Foundation
• Waggy T Rental & Sounds
• Dr. Christopher Ashby
• The Green Roof Inn
• Hotel Laurena
• Isle of Reefs Tours
• Lazy Turtle Pizzeria & Bar
• Tackle Magazine
• Down Island Ltd.
• Mr. & Mrs. Nigel Stewart
• Paddys Enterprises
• Mrs. Susan Valentine
• Wayne’s Auto Rentals
• LIME
• Millies Guest house
• SVG Air
• Osprey Lines Ltd
• Belair Garden Cottage
Thank you for allowing us to showcase our rich cultural heritage. We look
forward to your support during next year’s Festival and we would like to
assure all sponsors of our highest gratitude for the partnership that was provided to enable the success that was achieved.
Caribbean National, Regional and Island Weather Websites
• Barbados Weather Radar: www.barbadosweather.org/
barbados-weather-radar-SABDriver.php
• Cuba Met Institute: www.met.inf.cu (in Spanish)
• Curaçao Met Department: www.meteo.an
• Dominican Republic Met Office: www.onamet.gov.do (in Spanish)
• French West Indies Weather: http://outremer.meteofrance.com (in French)
• Martinique Weather Radar: www.meteo.fr/temps/domtom/antilles/pack-public/
animation/animMOSAIC2.html (in French)
• SXM Cyclone/St. Martin: www.sxmcyclone.com (in French)
• Trinidad & Tobago Weather Radar: www.metoffice.gov.tt/radar
• US National Weather Service (for USVI and Puerto Rico): www.srh.noaa.gov/sju
International/General Weather Websites
• Desperate Sailors: https://www.desperatesailors.com/page/weather/carib_sxm
• NOAA’s Environmental Visualization Laboratory: www.nnvl.noaa.gov
(great satellite images, animations and more visual storm stuff)
• PassageWeather: http://passageweather.com (provides seven-day wind, wave and
weather forecasts to help sailors with passage planning and weather routing)
• Weather Underground: www.wunderground.com/hurricane
Commercial Marine Weather Service Websites
• Buoyweather: www.buoyweather.com (supplies free two-day forecasts in addition to
paid-for custom forecasts)
• Chris Parker’s Marine Weather center: www.mwxc.com (paid-for custom forecasts)
• Crown Weather Services: www.crownweather.com (provides a good Tropical Weather
page in addition to paid-for custom forecasts)
Hurricane Information Websites
• Caribbean Hurricane Network: www.stormcarib.com
• US National Hurricane Center: www.nhc.noaa.gov
In addition, surf forecasts (great for those “iffy” anchorages) are provided
at http://magicseaweed.com.
Finally, this site includes a list of other Caribbean weather sources: www.tropicalwx.com.
Happy weather windows!
PRODUCT POSTINGS
“Summer’s here and the time is right for…” well, if not dancing in
the street, it’s probably working on the boat. Whether hauling out,
being in a marina slip, rewiring your nav desk, or just changing the
outboard oil, the following products might have a place in your
summertime arsenal.
Call the Coppers!
Sea Hawk paint tells us that Cukote antifouling’s high loading of cuprous oxide
(copper) makes this formulation a top performer, even in the most severe fouling
areas. As an ablative, self-polishing coating, there is no buildup of bottom paint over
time. Cukote copolymer can also withstand removal from water without affecting its
antifouling properties. Cukote does not contain any organotin compounds (TBT) and
is Lloyd’s Registry certified.
For more information on Sea Hawk paints see ad on page 17.
Mercury 25W-40 marine engine oil, OEM Mercury oil filter, drain plug seal, drip tray (if
required), and complete instructions.
Mercury oil change kits contain Mercury 25W-40 engine oil. Over five years of engineering and development went in to the exclusive Flagship Protection formula that
features the highest levels of corrosion and oxidation protection. Mercury 25W-40 oil
has been proven to hold its viscosity ratings longer in industry wear testing than other
oils on the market.
For more information see your local Mercury dealer or visit www.mercurymarine.com.
Combine High and Low Voltage
Less is more, especially when it comes to power wires and data jacks. With Hubbell
Communication Devices, boat owners can combine a power outlet and any combination of up to two low-voltage jacks for phone, TV and data in a single plate and
box. If power is installed in a separate box, users can put any combination of up to
Stop the Torture
Every owner knows that constant, harsh shock on a boat is not only very annoying,
but it can be dangerous. The consistent snapping and jerking of dock lines, anchor
chains, tow lines and other rope and cable connections can put massive stress on
cleats, railings and shackles, affecting the entire vessel.
JUNE 2014
Johnson Hardware Ltd.
FOR YOUR MARINE HARDWARE, AND MORE
Chain & Rope
Anchors & Fenders
Electric Wire
Marine Hoses
Bilge Pumps
Lubricants & Oils
Stainless Fasteners
Stainless Fittings
VHF Radios
Flares & Life Jackets
Snorkeling Equipment
Fishing Gear
Antifouling Paint
Paint Brushes
Epoxy Resins
Sanding Paper & Discs
Hand & Power Tools
Houseware & Cookware
Rodney Bay, St. Lucia Tel: (758) 452 0299 Fax: (758) 452 0311 e-mail: hardware@candw.lc
PAGE 29
Change the Oil
Changing oil is one of the most important steps to keep an outboard engine running at its peak. Mercury Marine has developed four new convenient oil change kits
for their outboards that contain all the components needed. Each kit includes
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
Davis Instruments’ LineSnubber reduces shock loads on dock lines, towing lines, tiedowns and preventers. The LineSnubber has many uses, including tender towing,
boom preventer, boom tie down, spinnaker tack, anchoring and docking. The life of
dock and anchor lines is increased by reducing chafe. When rigged properly, it
keeps boats centered in a slip.
LineSnubbers fit braided or twisted dock lines from 10mm diameter to 25mm. A simple clove hitch makes attaching, adjusting or removing the LineSnubber simple.
The LineSnubber is constructed from the toughest marine-grade shock cord, and
covered with 100-percent nylon webbing for sun and abrasion resistance. The 316
stainless steel carabiners make adjusting or removing LineSnubber a snap. Available
in blue and black, the LineSnubber measures 51cm.
For more information check your local chandlery or visit www.davisnet.com.
six low-voltage jacks in one plate. Although it all ends up in one neat, little package,
each Hubbell component can be individually selected to create a custom communication product meeting the needs of its owner.
Hubbell’s RJ600 J-LOAD Multi-Media Box is 8cm deep with seven 1.27cm knockouts
and non-metallic sheathed cable clamps on each side. It features screw-in mounting to stud.
The RJ65WTR Multi-Media Outlet includes a decorator frame with two open ports
for custom configuration and one power receptacle. It also has dividers for separating the high-voltage power outlet from the low-voltage media outlets. The NS616
Series Frame can accommodate up to six low-voltage media outlets.
The F-Type Connectors from Hubbell distribute high-quality video signal to the workstation. These connectors install with a snap and provide quick, easy screw-on termination. They’re compatible with TV, CATV, CCTV, home theater and entertainment
systems, satellite, security and surveillance systems, and VCR/DVD applications.
Hubbell’s SFGRFW and SFFGW are both gold for better data transmission.
Hubbell’s SFUSBAAW USB connector is used to provide a simple and easy way to
add a USB connection to a work area. To add style, the company’s outlet plates
provide a finishing touch. All components are available in white, ivory, almond, light
almond, gray, black and office white.
For more information check your local chandlery or visit www.hubbell-marine.com.
Isla
Po nd
ets
SEA WIFE
I raise a toast! One that is apt,
To all the women who adapt
To life at sea, because their man
Has had a dream, a goal, a plan,
To cast his business cares aside
And sail the oceans wild and wide.
JUNE 2014
Though life at sea can sound romantic
It’s often boring and pedantic,
Seagoing women have to cope,
With unfamiliar sails and rope,
And daunting waves, and winds and weather
To please her man, to stay together.
True, she may learn to love the life,
Become a perfect sailing wife,
Who keeps her cool whate’er the scene is
When Hubby ogles brief bikinis
On lithe young girls on tropic isles,
She laughs; she shakes her head and smiles;
Bikinis are a thing of youth
Her youth has gone, and that’s the truth.
TAURUS (21 Apr - 21 May)
While boat business is in the doldrums, love is in
the air. Venus is in Taurus and passion will be on
your heading. Fickle female that she is, Venus will
sail out of your sign on the 24th and offer her
charms to Gemini, so enjoy this pleasant interlude
while it lasts.
GEMINI (22 May - 21 Jun)
Your creative sails will be full, so set your course
for onboard projects and make the most of it before
the 21st. You’ll have a full cargo of energy to help
you succeed.
She thinks of times when she was young,
Then grins, because her spring has sprung!
And in the galley fixing dinner,
She thanks God for her sense of humor,
And pours herself some wine to go
And revel in the sunset’s glow.
CANCER (22 Jun - 23 Jul)
Don’t let poor propagation in communications
throw you off your creative course. Hold this
course for the first week, and then you can
relax, hang out on the hook and spend time
with friends.
Tomorrow they are on their way,
To where? To what? They cannot stay
She tells herself she likes to roam,
But when asleep, she dreams of home.
LEO (24 Jul - 23 Aug)
The different landfalls of romance and finance
will vie for your attention, but tacking from one
course to another will get you nowhere. Take a
break from both and find somewhere else to chill
out and recharge your batteries.
I raise my glass and say, “God Bless you”
And may the wild sea never test you!
VIRGO (24 Aug - 23 Sep)
This could be a passionate month. With your
renowned attention to detail, intimacy could put
fresh winds in your sails and have you happily on
a precise course for true love.
— Nan Hatch
LIBRA (24 Sep - 23 Oct)
You could have great success on an ingenious
heading during the second and third weeks. There
may be a spate of challenging weather mid-month,
but it is just a passing squall.
SCORPIO (24 Oct - 22 Nov)
Affection will enter rough waters and could back
your boat-business sails if you don’t focus on the
cruising kitty and give your love life a respite for a
time. Your good humor will help sail you into clear
skies and calm seas in the last week.
SAGITTARIUS (23 Nov - 21 Dec)
Any attempts to sail an innovative course will
meet with headwinds that will not abate until the
third week. Communications will be full if static
and you could make matters worse if you can’t
think before picking up the mic.
CAPRICORN (22 Dec - 20 Jan)
Let an infatuation take up the slack in any artistic endeavors. Communications onboard will be
intermittent, so the less said the better. Don’t
make promises you can’t keep.
AQUARIUS (21 Jan - 19 Feb)
Your cruising budget could be blown by high
seas in your romantic aspirations. Aspects are
positive for success in experiments, so concentrate
on that course.
PISCES (20 Feb - 20 Mar)
Pay attention to boat business this month and let
the rest of the world sail by. Any glitches in radio
contact or contrary currents in originality will be
gone in good time.
KEN DYER
JUNE 2014
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 30
ARIES (21 Mar - 20 Apr)
During the second and third weeks you could be
beating into rough seas no matter which tack you
take, and this could tie a reef in your sense of
humor in the final week. The company of good
friends, however, could distract you from the frustration of these aspects.
JUNE 2014
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 31
BOOK REVIEWS BY SALLY ERDLE
TWO BOOKS; TWO LOOKS
JUNE 2014
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 32
A Historical Account of the Island of St Vincent, The Original Text First
Published in 1831, by Charles Shephard. Hobo Jungle Press ©2013. Paperback, 350
g
pages, black-and-white images.
ISBN 978-0-9829945-4-2. US$15.95
l d off th
t
C
ibb
Many who visit th
the iislands
the E
Eastern
Caribbean,
and more than a few ex-pats
who live here, are not too well informed about the history of the islands. We take
them as we find them. But how did they get this way? Perhaps a look at the old
invaders will be instructive to us new invaders.
“History is written by the victors” is a quote often attributed to Winston Churchill.
“We will go down in history as either the greatest statesmen or the greatest villains”
is ascribed to Hermann Göring. A Historical Account of the Island of St Vincent is a
plainly one-sided narrative written at the request of “several Gentlemen of the colony
who were anxious that the particular circumstances attendant on the Insurrection
in 1795 should be preserved…”. It is told by a British colonial after the island was
wrested from the indigenous Caribs. The Caribs’ side of the story, as victims of what
was essentially ethnic cleansing, does not feature, nor does the viewpoint of the
enslaved Africans brought here in chains to toil.
The book is instructive in multiple ways, chiefly as a detailed documentary record
of a British colony in the Caribbean; the statistics in its 21 appendices are fascinating. (Most are informative; an abstract of the Slave Act is horrifying.) It is also, as
historian Adrian Fraser writes in an introduction to this edition, “a glimpse of the
biases and prejudices of the elites of 19th century slave society”. Another local historian, Paul Lewis, notes, “While Shephard’s ‘history’ is biased, it is a time piece and
presents the views of the dominant white, colonial, land-holding and administrative
class on the island. For that particular reason too the book is singularly important
for articulating and advocating such self-serving views as the official accounting and
explanation of our early colonial history, which had been internalized not only by the
colonials themselves but also by generations of Vincentians.”
This book is available at the Bequia Bookshop, from amazon.com and via www.
hobojungle.org.
No Fixed Address: Tales of a Reluctant Sailor, by Heather Morgan. Selfpublished via CreateSpace, ©2013. Paperback, 244 pages, black-and-white photos
and illustrations. ISBN 978-0-6157639-9-6.
A different look at life in the Caribbean through British eyes is presented to us by
Heather Morgan, a self-described “reluctant sailor” on an “island-hopping adventure” aboard a high-end Oyster yacht. Having sold their house, she and her husband, joined from time to time by their adult children, sailed from Tortola to
Grenada, then to the ABCs. Heather learned to sail, conquered her fear of deep water
through a love of snorkeling, and clung to her love of gourmet cooking through thick
and thin.
As often happens, Heather kept a journal and a friend said, “You must publish
this!”, which resulted in a straight “we went here and then we went there” narrative,
but she tells a good story and has avoided the usual pitfalls of self-publishing —
typos and grammatical errors are nowhere in evidence. Whimsical illustrations by
her daughter Nicolette are a bonus.
Heather loves ffood,
the ffamily
recounted.
Anyone who falls
d and
d what
h t th
il ate
t iis often
ft
t d A
back on a menu of cheese sandwiches or something out of a tin at the end of a long
day will be humiliated. In a format popularized by the peerless Ann Vanderhoof in
books such as An Embarrassment of Mangoes and The Spice Necklace, Heather
closes each chapter with a selection of her original recipes. Unlike Vanderhoof’s,
however, these recipes are often more in line with Heather’s French-gourmetinfluenced taste than with making use of local ingredients. The “Tobago Cays to
Grenada” chapter, for example, features recipes for Roasted Striped Bass and
Shrimp in Pernod, and Poached Pears in Red Wine. Heather does enjoy the local
markets, though (and her Mango Marinated Seared Tuna with Tropical Fruit Salsa
sounds killer); just don’t forget to also stock your galley with mascarpone, Maldon
sea salt flakes and dried porcini mushrooms!
This book is available at bookstores, from amazon.com
and via www.daisyatsea.com.
SALTY’S ANSWERS
BOOK REVIEW BY J. WYNNER
A MONK’S TALE
The Best Stories from Caribbean Compass
Now available as an eBook at Amazon.com,
Cruising Life: The Best Stories from Caribbean Compass
is a collection of 49 outstanding stories selected from more than
200 issues of Caribbean Compass.
Ann Vanderhoof, author of An Embarrassment of Mangoes and
The Spice Necklace, says, “Given a new life beyond the magazine,
the pieces in this collection resonate and sparkle
in a very different way, offering new pleasures.
Beyond its entertainment — the first piece had me hooked —
the collection is sure to spark ideas in both
cruising sailors and armchair dreamers.”
US$8.95
Read a preview and order Cruising Life now
at www.amazon.com!
JUNE 2014
Dominican Republic
Cayman Islands
Haiti
Cuba
Jamaica
Trinidad
ABC Islands
Puerto Rico
Lesser Antilles in 3 volumes
www.freecruisingguide.com
Compliments of:
Marina Zar-Par
Boca Chica, Dominican Republic
www.marinazarpar.com
PAGE 33
FREE
CRUISING GUIDES
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
Aelred’s Sin by Lawrence Scott. Allison & Busby, ©2006, 445 pages.
ISBN 978-0-7940-0374-6.
“… let love speak its many names to a world that has need of them all.” This line,
written by Richard Holloway, is a part of just one of many glowing reviews of
Aelred’s Sin.
Trinidadian author Lawrence Scott’s audacious novel, a Commonwealth Writers’
Prize Book about monastic homoeroticism, is an insightful and compassionate story
expertly handled. It’s a beautifully written book with a poignant story illustrating
who and what the central character, Jean Marc de la Borde (“Aelred”) is: a gay
Caribbean monk.
You may read lots of books and forget the story afterwards, or most of it anyway,
but Aelred’s Sin you’d
remember. As the Judges’
Citation
for
the
Commonwealth Writers’
Prize of 1999 says,
“Aelred’s Sin is a book
full of interest and daring. The details of monastic life, the layering of
relationships and exploration of various possibilities for male relationships form part of the
tension that Scott creates
and
sustains
throughout.”
Scott adeptly illuminates his tale about gay
love set in the 1980s by
switching from present to
the past, ferrying us
between the monks of
the modern monastery of
St. Aelred’s of Ashton
Park, Northumbria, and
a historical figure (“the
great English Cistercian
of the twelfth century”),
Aelred of Rievaulx, whose
name the young protagonist — Jean Marc from
Malgretoute, Les Deux
Isles — took when he
became a Benedictine
novice at the monastery
in England.
Scott, always one for
lyrical landscapes, navigates his readers between the Northumbria and Les Deux Isles locales, which are
stunningly contrasted, capturing the essence of place in both environs. On one
hand, “Within this place of natural solitude, they fashioned spaces of light and shadow; shade from the heat, gardens with flowers and shrubs; oleander, pink like coral,
white like first communion clothes; climbing plants on arbours and trellises, bougainvillea and allamanda. At the centre of this perfected place, a fountain which small
birds delighted in spilled its light. The birds darted to and fro. In this pool of light,
goldfish swam… the boy left the land of sugarcane fields and old racatang town
which tumbled down to the sea, and he climbed over the cocoa hills to the plains with
the swamps, the rice fields and the oyster beds. He entered where the plains touched
the entrance to the cool valleys… ascended the mountain road to the monastery with
its school.”
There is no doubt where Scott intends his reader to be: the land of his birth, Les
Deux Isles, The Two Islands, Trinidad and Tobago, and the monastery’s school at
Mount St. Benedict, built on Trinidad’s scenic Northern range.
And in Northumbria, he describes the young novice’s first winter experience:
”There was a driving wind, sleet and flurries of snow… The young novice savoured
each new sensation. He heard the word ‘flurry’. He forgot the meaning of heat on the
skin. It was wind, not breeze. But he looked forward to the roaring fire in the common
room. He thought of jolly Christmas cards. The world looked like a Christmas scene on
a Christmas card: holly, laurel, ivy. England was a carol. Earth stood as hard as iron,
water like stone. He learnt the feel of ‘bleak’ ”.
The book opens with a prologue by Robert de la Borde, Jean Marc’s/Aelred’s
younger brother, in which he concludes, “And me — I follow where he tells me of that
life and love, along lines written in blood blue, like Quink ink. Allow me this hagiographic beginning, this preface to a brother’s story. One story lies within another.”
Encompassing all these stories is Jean Marc, the young boy from the tropics who
enters the monastery across the ocean, barely a man and already with a tragic past
behind him.
His application letter to the Abbot of St. Aelred’s Abbey stated, “I have always
wanted to be a monk, ever since I was a little boy when I made my first communion…
I do not want to join the monastery here because I do not want to be a teacher… St.
Aelred’s attracts me to the primitive interpretation of the rule of our Holy Father St.
Benedict. This is the life I want to lead. I am attracted to the way manual work, study
and celebration of Divine Office is described in your brochure. I want to lead the
enclosed life.”
And so, Scott takes us behind the walls of the monastery at Northumbria and into
the abbey where monks with yearning to find their Christ, and some with hearts
filled with love, turn to each other to express that love in the enclosed life.
Upon the death of Jean Marc, it is left to his younger brother, Robert, to piece
together through reading his journals the secret life that Jean Marc led, a life in
which all love is not judged or treated equally.
THE CARIBBEAN SKY: FREE SHOW NIGHTLY!
by Jim Ulik
ues to heat the ocean, activating the cycle that develops into hurricane season.
The June solstice is believed by some to be mid-summer. That claim is more subjective and the start date of summer will vary if using weather and climate as the criterions and also depends on whether high, middle or tropical latitudes are being considered. I think my criteria would include the release date of my favorite summer beers.
FIGURE 2
The Sky from
Mid-June to Mid-July
The numbers and distances of objects in our solar system seem large but considering the expanse of the solar system including our place in the Milky Way everything
is quite small. There are 640,567 asteroids on record and 19 of those will be near
Earth from mid-June to mid-July. The closest approach will occur on July 11th and
be a distant 3,662,458 miles (5,894,156 km) away. There is always the probability
of new asteroids breaking away from the asteroid belt to approach or cross Earth’s
orbit. There will also be 17 meteor showers over this period. All but two of these will
be minor showers. But if you add all these showers together, who knows how many
you can see?
JUNE 2014
Figure 2: Mars, Spica,
Ceres and Vesta in the
constellation Virgo. Ceres
and Vesta are shown for
location and not to scale
Figure 3: Summer Triangle
and nebulas (actual size)
with the Moon on July 12th
at 2030. Kepler Mission
search area is in blue
Thursday, June 19th
Tonight will be a peak for the Ophiuchid meteor shower. The apparent source will
be from the constellation Ophiuchus. There will also be some activity from the June
Lyrids with meteors radiating from the constellation Lyra. Remember to look 90
degrees from the source of the shower. Both constellations are up by 2000 hours* so
there is no need to wait until after midnight this time. A simple solution for any viewing would be to lie down, look straight up and try not to fall asleep.
Saturday, June 21st
Summer is finally here! The June solstice occurs at 1051 UT. The Earth’s axis is
tilted toward the Sun causing it to reach its northernmost position in the sky over
the Tropic of Cancer at 23.44 degrees north latitude. The event is also known as the
northern solstice or the summer solstice. There are no hard and fast criteria to determine the start of each season, but people like to apply a calendar date to these
events. Astronomically the seasons are determined by the well-defined equinox and
solstice dates. That marks June 21st as the first day of summer.
For those in the Caribbean Basin, the rainy season is beginning. The Sun contin-
FIGURE 3
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 34
FIGURE 1 (NASA/JPL/MSSS)
Figure 1: A Happy Face on
the Martian crater Galle —
celebrating that planet’s
summer season perhaps?
Sunday, June 22nd
The International Space Station enters a period of full illumination near the June
solstice. That will provide multiple views for people in the Caribbean Basin.
Port Authority
Regatta Jupa
Round House Restaurant
Slipway Restaurant
Tourism Office
PETITE MARTINIQUE
B&C Fuel Dock
The impact of social media on cruisers’ information,
cumbersome rules regulating yachts, and regattas as
a tourism product were some of the topics scrutinized.
Chris Doyle (left) launched the flow of ideas
Chris kicked off with commentary on the effect of
social media on sailors’ information flow — for better
and for worse. He asked, “What would we once do
when we needed to get an idea of what to expect at
a new destination? We would find other cruisers and
ask. Now, social media has put a lot of power into
that interaction by enabling us to contact a mass of
people who might be helpful.” However, he noted
that, while the immediacy of information posted on
Facebook is indisputable, its accuracy is often not.
Many cruisers’ posts on Facebook relate to what
Chris calls “my usual bugbear, officialdom”, which
segued us into the topic of yachting regulations. Chris
outlined a problem: “Yesterday a racing boat arrived
from overseas. It is a small, cramped boat not designed
to carry the big crew needed to race it. So they had
booked rooms here in Bequia. This is one of the benefits of a regatta: bringing money
into the local economy. They had planned to get here in time to clear in, but winds were
light and they arrived just too late. By law they should not go ashore and take a shower and have a good night’s rest. They should crash out on the damp floor of their yacht
and clear in properly in the morning. But just who is that going to benefit?”
Chris suggested, “Why not have a ‘service department’ you could call to get permission for the law-bending that seems necessitated by the cruising lifestyle? You’ll be
arriving too late to clear in but want to go ashore for the night? Why not have a
number where we could call to get permission? It would mean officials would have
to rethink their job in terms of what they are trying to achieve, rather than in making
sure everyone follows laws along the dotted line. But in the long run, sailors would
not be risking fines, and the officials would know exactly what was going on.”
He then asked the provocative question, “Is it always so easy or desirable that
cruisers follow the rules to the letter?” To which Sir James replied, “We need people
in government that know sailing and the sea, and front-line civil servants such as
Customs and Immigration officers in ports of entry need to understand that their
salaries are being paid by tourism, not by ‘government’. How do we get officials to
understand the problems and the benefits of yacht tourism? By publicizing them.”
The mention of regattas bringing money into the local economy triggered another
topic. After hearing that “the good old days” when a bunch of friends would put on
a race were missed, but also hearing that regattas need ever more sponsorship and
manpower, Katrina stated that if a group wants to stage a regatta just for fun, that
is its own reward. “But if you want your regatta to be a tourism product rather than
a hobbyist event, you need to be professional, you need sponsorship, you need to
prove the economic impact of your regatta, and you need a lobbyist to drive government support such as revised legislation.”
It was generally agreed that having a lobbyist to promote the regional yacht tourism industry as a whole in the halls of government would be a good idea. (CMA, are
you listening?)
PAGE 35
ST. GEORGE’S AREA
Art Fabrik
Grenada Board of Tourism
Grenada Yacht Club
Island Water World
Marine World
Port Louis Marina
Tikal
SOUTH COAST
Budget Marine
Essentials Mini-Market
Grenada Marine
Island View
Le Phare Bleu Marina
Martin’s Marina
McIntyre Bros
Prickly Bay Marina
Spice Island Marine
Turbulence Sails
CARRIACOU
Alexis Supermarket
Carriacou Marine
Hard Wood Restaurant
Lazy Turtle Restaurant
On April 17th, Caribbean Compass contributors, friends and staff gathered in
Bequia for our 18th annual pre-Easter get-together. The gathering, in a new venue,
was more intimate and less formal than in years past, but its purpose — to exchange
ideas about the Caribbean sailing scene — was fulfilled.
The Compass Writers’ Brunch was launched in 1997 at Le Petit Jardin restaurant.
After that location became Doris’s Fresh Food, one year the Brunch was held underway
aboard the schooner Friendship Rose, which was wildly popular with the sailors but
presented logistical challenges (including a guest speaker literally missing the boat!).
From the following year until 2013, the Brunch found a happy home at Mac’s Pizzeria.
Mac’s was unable to host our event this year, so we opted for an informal get-together
for coffee, pastry and good conversation in the seaside garden of the Gingerbread Café.
The Brunch began as a way for people who had contributed articles, photos, and
other content to meet. Many were sure to be in Bequia around Easter Regatta time.
Today, however (largely thanks to the internet), our contributors are no longer concentrated in a relatively small geographical area. Every year, we invite those who have
had an article published during the past year to attend, and year by year, it’s been
harder to get this increasingly spread-out cohort together — it’s a long way to come
from Suriname, Tortola, Panama or beyond. Maybe a Skype Brunch next year?
Among the attendees were cruising guide author Chris Doyle, former Prime
Minister of St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Sir James Mitchell; former marketing officer of the Tourism and Industrial Development Company of Trinidad & Tobago
Katrina Kelshall; St. Lucia Yacht Club Secretary Anne Purvis; yacht designer Paul
Johnson; Compass contributors Melinda Parke, Bob Berlinghof and Amal Thomas;
and Compass staff Elaine Ollivierre, Shellese Craigg, Wilfred Dederer, Tom Hopman
and Sally Erdle.
Since this was a year of changes, we also went back to basics. We didn’t start having a guest speaker until 2000; this year we returned to a simple open exchange of
views. Perhaps the level of mental activity was raised by caffeine and sugar, rather
than being lowered by our usual Bloody Marys and monster brunch, but the 2014
discussion was dynamic.
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PICK UP!
Ahoy, Compass Readers! When in Grenada, pick up your free monthly copy of
the Caribbean Compass at any of these locations (advertisers in this issue
appear in bold):
WHAT’S THE IDEA?
JUNE 2014
Jim Ulik is a photographer and cruiser currently based in Grenada.
Annual Compass Brunch —
WILFRED DEDERER
You can find the flyover dates and times for your location at http://spotthestation.
nasa.gov.
Thursday, June 26th
Don’t look for Mercury. The Moon will block out (occult) Mercury early this morning. However, there is a report that you can see Mercury disappear if you are located
in the Southeast US or Venezuela just before sunrise.
Friday, June 27th
The Moon will be between the Earth and the Sun today about five degrees south
of the Sun’s center. This is the best time of the month to observe faint objects
because there is no moonlight to interfere. This morning Venus rises at 0338,
Mercury rises at 0505, Sunrise is at 0545 and the Moon will rise at 0557. The New
Moon occurs at 0808 UT (0408 AST).
Monday, June 30th
The distance between the Earth and the Moon fluctuates because the Moon’s orbit
is an ellipse. Today the Moon reaches its outermost orbital point (apogee) from Earth.
That distance is 252,258 miles (405,942 km). Twelve degrees above the setting Moon
you will find Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo.
Tuesday, July 1st
This morning you can see a pairing of Venus and Aldebaran with four degrees of
separation. Venus is, of course, one of the brightest objects in the sky. Aldebaran,
meaning follower, is the “bull’s eye” in the constellation Taurus and one of the stars
used in celestial navigation. It is about 153 times brighter than the Sun and the 14th
brightest star.
Saturday, July 5th
If you are in Trinidad and south you can see the Moon pass in front of Mars at
0121 UT in the constellation Virgo. In all other locations Mars will pass between zero
and two degrees from the Moon. Continue searching Virgo, and find the asteroid
Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres separated by only zero degrees ten minutes. A
dwarf planet is a celestial body orbiting the Sun that is massive enough to be become
round in shape by means of its own gravity.
Tuesday, July 8th
The Capricornid meteor shower will reach its maximum rate of activity. Some
shooting stars will be visible each night from July to August, but the best show will
be expected on or around July 8th and 15th. Start looking for any shooting stars at
2000 hours. If you are looking for comets, you may find one in Leo. That comet is
C/2012 K1 (Panstarrs) and will reach its maximum brightness in October.
The Moon and Saturn will make a close approach, passing within zero degrees 26
minutes each other in the constellation Libra. The pairing will become visible to the
naked eye around 2216 hours.
Saturday, July 12th
The Moon has reached its farthest point from the Sun (aphelion) and it closest point
to Earth (perigee). The Full Moon phase is at 0725. Here is a little trivia to pass on
during your Full Moon Party or dinghy drift. The zenith position at the exact moment
of the Full Moon at 0725 is located 165 nautical miles (305 km) south of Pago Pago,
American Samoa. We won’t see the Moon until 1852 on our side of the world.
The summer triangle will be in conjunction with the Moon. The triangle of stars is
an asterism, not a constellation. An asterism is a group of stars that form a pattern.
The three stars (Altair, Deneb and Vega) making this formation are all stars used in
celestial navigation. Altair in the constellation Aquila is twice the diameter of our Sun
and 17 light years away. Deneb in the constellation Cygnus is 200 times larger than
our Sun and 2600 light years away. Vega in the constellation Lyra is three times
larger than the Sun and 25 light years away. Figure 3 includes the Crescent and Veil
nebulas. They will look like fuzzy patches through a pair of binoculars. There are other
famous asterisms such as the Big Dipper, which is a few stars taken from the Ursa
Major constellation. Have a rum, find some stars and create your own star patterns.
In the News
The circle in Figure 3 shows the area in the Milky Way that the Kepler spacecraft
is searching for Earth-size terrestrial planets in or near the habitable zone of their
solar systems. To date there have been 962 planets discovered that qualify. One has
been found that is nearly the same size as Earth and has temperatures that would
permit liquid oceans on its surface.
* All times are given as Atlantic Standard Time (AST) unless otherwise noted. The
times are based on the viewing position in Grenada and may vary by only a few minutes in different Caribbean locations.
Caribbean Cruising — Gastronomically
Part One:
A MULTICULTURAL CUISINE
by Frank Virgintino
the mixture comes away easily from the sides of the pot. [See “Make Your Next Meal
with Cornmeal” by Shirley Hall in last month’s Compass.] Coucou is one-half of
Barbados’s national dish of Coucou and Flying Fish. Coucou is best eaten with a
very saucy stew — fish, meat or poultry. If you have ever eaten Italian polenta,
you’ll understand this dish.
The Africans also introduced okra, callaloo (the leaf of the dasheen vegetable, usually made into a soup or used in stews such as Grenada’s national dish, Oil Down),
fish cakes, pudding-and-souse (souse is usually made by using parts of the pig such
as the feet and then pickling them in vinegar), ackee (a fruit which is the part of the
Jamaican national dish of Ackee and Saltfish), and a long list of other notables.
African men were hunters and went out for periods of time in search of food. They
would then cook meats over hot coals. This process was further refined by West
African slaves in Jamaica, who developed what is known today as “jerk” cooking. It
involves the slow cooking of meat that has been seasoned, often highly seasoned.
After slavery was abolished, laborers from India were brought to the Caribbean. As
a result curry powder is used in dishes throughout many of the islands, in particular
those of Anglo influence. Try “doubles” (a pair of fried Indian flatbread pieces with
curried chickpea filling) or a roti (curried meat or vegetables wrapped up in a soft
Indian flatbread).
The Chinese, also brought as laborers, introduced rice and it is rare to find any
Caribbean table that does not present a rice dish.
You can imagine that almost any food that does not need refrigeration is
highly valued in the tropics. The early Portuguese sailors introduced bacalao, or
dried salted codfish, a mainstay known as saltfish still found almost everywhere
in the Caribbean.
Further waves of immigration, such as that from the Middle East, brought their
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
SAILROCKETEER.COM
PAGE 36
As we travel the Caribbean, we come into contact with many different cultures.
Want to learn about many essentials of a country’s culture? Learn about its food!
Among the basic foods of the Caribbean are chicken, fish and seafood, lamb, goat
and beef, as well as a wide variety of vegetables and the always-present rice-andbeans or -peas. Rice is the carbohydrate of choice; it is plentiful and relatively inexpensive. There are also a great number of root vegetables, known in the Englishspeaking islands as “provisions”.
What makes food interesting, however, is not only content, but also preparation,
seasoning and presentation. You will find that most meals in the Caribbean will
satisfy you, but if you are willing to do a little research, you will find levels of the
culinary arts that can awaken the palate of even the most discriminating amoureux
de la cuisine.
Seasoning is the key ingredient that lets you know you are eating at the table of a
different culture. Seasonings vary throughout the Caribbean, but Caribbean food is
most often not “spicy hot”, as one might find in Central American cuisine.
Nonetheless, dishes are still quite well seasoned. The base seasoning of most meals,
soffrito “green seasoning”, most frequently includes various types of cilantro, thyme,
onions, garlic, chives and celery. Special variations that are particular to an area are
often a well-guarded secret passed on from generation to generation.
The Caribbean is vast geographically and diverse culturally, resulting in what can
be called “syncretic foodstuffs”. What was available before Europeans came? Where
did other foods come from? Who brought them to the New World?”
The Tainos, or Native Americans, had a wide range of foods. From Arawak and
Carib to Mayan, we can look for and find examples of food rooted in Taino culture.
Taino fishermen caught fish many different ways; even poisoning them to stun them
momentarily. (The poison did not affect the fish’s edibility.) In addition, they grew
JUNE 2014
Where visitors once looked for ‘local
color’, local flavor is now sought.
Locally sourced dishes on Caribbean
charter yachts such as Rocketeer
(as pictured) are often award
winning, and students of culture
will revel in the international
influences that make up today’s
Caribbean cuisine
cassava (yuca), sweet potato (batata), squash, beans, peppers, peanuts, corn and
pineapples. Plentiful tropical fruits included berries and guavas.
When the Europeans arrived, they brought many of their own crops arranged for
their cultivation. They also brought domestic livestock to provide meat, whereas the
Tainos hunted small wild animals.
It is hard to believe that so many fruit trees of the islands were introduced by the
Spanish explorers or European settlers. Orange, lime, mango, tamarind and breadfruit were not native to the Caribbean. Even such “Caribbean crops” as sugarcane,
cocoa and ginger are non-native. Imagine, you thought those coconut palms were
always there, swaying in the wind!
When we sit down to eat, often we do not realize that we are eating foods whose
roots can be traced back to West Africa. Europeans, in addition to their crops and
livestock, also brought about 4,000,000 West Africans to the Caribbean to work as
slaves. West Africans and those of West African mixed heritage are today the clear
majority of the populace of the Caribbean. Their impact on the menu is more significant than first meets the eye. Here the culinary pot (as well as the dish in question) thickens — literally! Fufu, which also has other names in West Africa, is a
staple food of the Asante and Fante peoples. It is made by boiling starchy food
crops such as cassava, yams or plantains, and then pounding them into dough-like
consistency. This dish makes its appearance throughout the Caribbean in many
different ways. In the Latino countries you can eat mangu (mashed boiled plantains) for breakfast with two fried eggs. A cornmeal mush known as coucou serves
much the same purpose. The cornmeal is simmered low and slow in water (sometimes with the addition of okra or pigeon peas) until all the liquid is absorbed and
own dishes to the islands and explains why you can eat quipe (deep fried bulgur sold
by street vendors) throughout the Dominican Republic.
There is so much tropical fruit throughout the Caribbean that you could live on it.
Many, such as passion fruit, banana, and mango, may be familiar to you. There are
also those that you might sample for the very first time such as balata, sapodilla,
soursop and sugar apple. Try being a fruitarian; you won’t go hungry! However,
before you try, be sure to obtain local knowledge about unfamiliar fruits. The
Andrews Sisters sang “Don’t sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me.” In
the case of the manchineel tree, you should not sit under the tree ever! The attractive
little green apples are highly toxic; even its sap can cause distress. The ackee fruit
is a mixed blessing. Unripe ackee fruit contains a poison called hypoglycin; the protective pods of the fruit must turn red and open for the fruit to be safe. If improperly prepared, ackee can cause the “Jamaican Vomiting Sickness”, which can lead to
coma or death.
Visit the local markets; eat where the locals eat; make new friends and dine in local
homes. The diversity and abundance of food in the Caribbean will delight even the
pickiest of eaters. Each country has its own touch and it all adds up to one very big,
very diverse gastronomical feast that will delight your nose, your mouth, your eyes
and your stomach and most times will not leave your wallet feeling stressed.
Next month: A look at some special island favorites, from Fungi in Antigua to Crab
and Callaloo in Tobago.
Frank Virgintino is the author of Free Cruising Guides,
http://freecruisingguides.com.
pigeon pea soup and much more.
Soup can be a first course or a complete meal
depending on your appetite. The really great thing
about soup is that it does not require more than a
good pot on a cooking surface to get super results. No
need to fire up the oven. Even a modest alcohol stove
can produce great soup. Keep it simple. Let it simmer.
Eat it often from bowl or mug.
Here are two simple but excellent soup recipes that
will comfort your weary body, soothe your prickled
palate and restore your faith in humanity. Hmm, I
might be pushing the last claim just a bit….
Hot or Cold Vichyssoise
You can make this flavourful soup without a ham
bone if you wish, but the flavour is superior when a
ham bone is used. This classic soup can be served
hot to restore you after a long, wet passage or cold as
a light summer supper in the cockpit. Don’t let the
fancy name scare you off. It is fairly quick and very
easy to make.
4 pounds (1.8 kg) potatoes
2 leeks
1/2 Cup (125 ml) fresh parsley, chopped
by Ross Mavis
Always Good for
What Ails You
Have a food question? You can reach me
at ross.mavis@gmail.com.
info@marigotbeachclub.com www.marigotbeachclub.com
PAGE 37
4 Cups (1 litre) chicken stock
1 ham bone
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 Cup (125 ml) evaporated milk (or cream)
Wash and peel potatoes, slicing thinly. Cut green
tops and bottom root fronds off leeks. (If you can’t get
leeks, substitute yellow onions.) Slice white sections of
leeks thinly and wash to remove any sand or dirt.
Place potatoes, leeks, and chopped parsley into pot
with chicken stock and ham bone. Bring to the boil
and simmer until potatoes are fork tender. Remove
ham bone, discard and let soup cool slightly. In a
blender or food processor, carefully purée soup.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add evaporated
milk (or cream if you wish) and, for hot soup, reheat
until steaming. Do not let boil. Serve immediately in
hot bowls with parsley garnish.
For cold soup, served chilled but not ice cold.
Enjoy!
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
Healing Chicken Soup
3 pounds (1.5 kg) chicken pieces (backs and necks
are fine)
10 Cups (2.5 litres) water (enough to cover
chicken well)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 Cup (50 ml) fresh parsley, chopped
1 bay leaf
pepper to taste
Any chicken pieces or a whole chicken will do just fine
for this great and easy soup. Wash chicken, trimming
excess fat. Place in stockpot or saucepan and cover with
water. Add all other ingredients except pepper and bring
to the boil over medium heat. Skim foam from top of
soup. Cover and let simmer for about two hours. Remove
from heat, strain broth. Chicken can be taken from the
bones and eaten in salad, casseroles or sandwiches.
Broth should be chilled to solidify fat for easy removal. Reheat broth and enjoy with pepper to taste.
This is delicious as is, and makes an excellent base
for other soups.
JUNE 2014
Had a rough passage from the Virgins to Martinique?
Came in dead last in the last regatta, and now you
don’t feel so good? Bored in the boatyard? Sad to see
your best cruising pals sail off to the Med?
Soup, especially chicken soup, can be both comforting and rejuvenating. As well as a great comfort food,
soups, and broth in particular, have long been touted
as ideal remedies for illness. I’m a firm believer in
this. Granted, the powers of chicken broth are sometimes over-rated. The good news, however, is that an
excess of these bowls of golden sunshine won’t do you
any harm.
Our French ancestors had two words that are
linked to the English word soup: soupe and potage. In
the 17th century these were more like stews than
purely liquid fare. Soupe referred to the ingredients
placed into a broth or bouillon. Today, a soupe is
considered a peasant style of soup. Potage originally
was a large dish of meat or fish boiled with vegetables. It was served on platters, with some of the liquid
more as an afterthought.
Today our mostly liquid soups form two main categories, those considered clear and those thick. Clear
soups or consommes are served either hot or cold.
Thick soups are of three main types: cream, purée or
velouté. Suffice it to say that cream soups are finished
off with cream in their preparation. Purées are either
rubbed through a sieve or processed with a food processor to a fine smooth texture. Veloutés incorporate a
white sauce into the final product.
There are more soup recipes worldwide than you
have time available to consume them. In the Caribbean,
soup is just as popular as anywhere else. Here you’ll
find pumpkin soup, callaloo soup, corn soup, fish
broth, conch chowder, “goat water”, cow heel soup,
READERS'
FORUM
Stock Up
on the widest selection and the
best prices in Grenada at our two
conveniently located supermarkets.
Whether it’s canned goods, dairy
products, meat, fresh vegetables
or fruits, toiletries, household goods,
or a fine selection of liquor and wine,
JUNE 2014
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 38
The Food Fair has it all and a lot more.
Hubbard’s
JONAS BROWNE & HUBBARD (G’da.) Ltd.
The Carenage:
Monday - Thursday
8 am to 5:30 pm
Friday until 8:45 pm
Saturday until
1:00 pm
Tel: (473) 440-2588
Grand Anse:
Monday - Thursday
9 am to 5:30 pm
Friday & Saturday
until 7:00 pm
Tel: (473) 444-4573
R A MSEY, N J
GOT RANGE?
?
TRAVEL FARTHER THAN
EVER BEFORE WITH...
YOUR MUMMY LIED
Dear Compass,
The letters in the March issue of Compass sure hit a
spot with me.
My feeling about anchor lights is this: if you have
legal (360-degree, white, two-nautical-mile) anchor
light, if someone hits your home in the night, there is
no question who is at fault. Period. Any other lights or
no lights at all: who can afford the best lawyer wins.
Regarding dinghy dock etiquette, tie your dinghy on
a long painter so everyone can get in. When I’ve suggested this to folks tying short they almost always give
me the “my mother told me I’m the most important
little boy in the whole wide world, and no one else matters” look. Your mummy lied to you!
Jock Tulloch
S/Y Unleaded
LIZARD LANDFALL
Dear Compass,
Re: “Leaving the Eastern Caribbean for Europe” by
Don Street in the April issue, although I can vouch for
the usefulness of Don Street’s Imray Iolaire passage
chart 100 when crossing the Atlantic, I have a suggestion as to an alternative to Crookhaven as a landfall if
Falmouth does not appeal (“...when you arrive at
Falmouth you will discover the beer is warm, the pub
is closed, and a game of cricket is in progress...”). It is
Cadgwith Cove, The Lizard.
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Read in Next
Month’s Compass:
Tips for the San Blas Bound
Coming back to Jamaica
You’ll Be Needing Summer Reading
… and much more!
When I crossed from St. Lucia to the UK via the
Azores ten years ago, we were arriving past the Scillies
on a Friday afternoon, and I calculated that by the time
we reached Falmouth it would be past 1:00AM. So I
called Falmouth Coastguard to inquire what the arrival
formalities were. They asked where we were coming
from, and I replied Horta, Azores. I was told that, as we
had already cleared into an EU territory, there were no
more requirements; we could stop wherever we liked.
Having lived on The Lizard many years ago, and fished
with a fisherman from Cadgwith Cove, I knew that on
a Friday night in the summer, the Cadgwith Cove Inn
was the venue for a drink-up and sing-along hosted by
the local fishermen and their choir.
The weather conditions were perfect: gentle northwesterly breeze, very calm and settled for the next few
days. Although The Lizard has a fearsome reputation,
and attracts very few cruising sailors as a result, like
anywhere else, when the sea is calm it can be a different prospect. So we called friends in the village and
planned our arrival, anchoring off the beach at Cadgwith
where the fishing boats are hauled up. We took the
dinghy ashore, to be greeted by familiar faces.
Walking across the road above the beach to the pub,
we could already hear the strains of the sea shanties,
and our passage-induced thirst for real bitter was
soon to be quenched. My fisherman friend (“Nutty
Noah”), happened to have a leg of lamb in the oven at
home, and with our contribution of two litres of
Bounty Rum, the party wasn’t over until the sun came
up next morning, when we stumbled back down the
lane to our berths.
Although such a landfall cannot really be planned
in advance, our experience that night would be hard
to beat anywhere, and if you should ever find yourself passing that way on a Friday, stop and ask for
Nutty Noah.
Safe passage,
Matthew Watters
ex. S/Y Luskentyre
BRAVO, ED BRANGMAN
Dear Compass,
I would like to comment on the letter from Ed
Brangman, “Shoot-out with Venezuelan pirates”, in
the April issue’s Readers Forum.
Bravo, Ed, well done! If more cruisers like Ed would
resist the pirates we would get slowly rid of those
pests. As long as the government of their country is
not willing to stop the pirates, but even seems to
encourage them, we have to act to protect ourselves.
And countries that confiscate cruisers’ rifles are just
protecting the pirates.
I hope Ed eliminated some of the criminals; at least he
gave them a good lesson. To shoot and/or resist pirates
is the only answer. If some cruisers think they can be
cooperative with them, this attitude will only encourage
those criminals to attack more yachts, and word will go
around how easy it is to take a yacht. Next step is, pirates
will multiply like rats. The “cooperative behaviour” will
then pose a real danger to new pirates, when they don’t
meet a softy sailor and get shot. Why have there been no
pirate attacks between Trinidad and Grenada recently?
Some of the boys didn’t return home to their families.
We must realize that the sea is a lawless area; we
have to defend ourselves, and have to be prepared at
any time, everywhere! Don’t believe cruising is nothing
but fun; there are some bitter drops in it.
Angelika Grüner
S/Y Angelos
Dear Angelika,
We know that you and your family encountered
armed attackers in Venezuela, and we respect your
informed opinion. But we would like to add that not all
of the sea is “a lawless area” — some places, BVI
waters for example, are famously safe — and that
resisting armed attackers has resulted in the deaths of
victims, most notably Sir Peter Blake.
CC
FEE OR FLEE?
Dear Compass,
It is with some disappointment that I find myself
writing this from the USVI.
Following a smooth, pleasant check-in with
Immigration at Spanish Town, Virgin Gorda, my husband and I proceeded to explore and enjoy the BVI,
specifically Virgin Gorda and Anegada — so much so
that we realized we were, as usual, slow and would
need to extend our stay.
We therefore sailed to Road Town specifically to
extend our Immigration status. A very pleasant lady
saw us and said, yes, she would extend our stay. The
Immigration lady then told us we would have to visit
Customs to pay a fee. We inquired as to the nature of
this fee. She telephoned Customs and relayed to us that
we would need to pay US$201 to temporarily import our
vessel, as our stay was going to be over 30 days. Now
this seemed odd to us as we are British, our boat is
British Registered and we are visiting the BVI, which, to
my understanding, is part of the United Kingdom.
We are British, with European Great Britain passports,
the same as nationals of the BVI. A local was very proud
to show us his burgundy covered EU Great Britain passport and to have all the rights that go along with having
this passport as we ourselves feel proud to carry.
We felt this was just a scam tax to get money out of
cruisers. Following further discussion we decided to
not pay and to leave the BVI for the USVI.
This, we since discovered, is an “Annual Tonnage
Fee”; “Cruising Permit” would be a more appropriate
name but not so palatable to us cruisers.
This [charging a large fee to stay more than 30 days]
seems to be very short sighted of the BVI Government.
We on average spend US$1,500 to $2,000 per month
living on our boat. We spend all of this money wherever we are, so now we are spending it in the USVI not
the BVI. We liveaboards may seem small fry to the BVI
Government compared with the charter crowd. But we
have more time, can keep coming back, and tell our
friends to visit too — or not, as the case may be?
I hope that this letter causes some discussion among
the BVI people, especially Dr. Orlando Smith, the
Premier and Minister of Tourism, whom I quote (from
the BVI Marine Guide 2014): “The Leader of such a
sailor’s paradise…” and “…ensure that the necessary
legislation, policies and procedures are carried out
that will further advance our reputation as a Yachtsman
Friendly Destination”.
Jane Townsend
S/Y Greta May
Editor’s note: Jane’s letter was copied to a number of
people, one of whom responds:
Dear Mrs. Townsend,
I read with interest your letter and would like to
make a few comments.
The BVI is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom
and as such, I, like all UK citizens, am subject to the
laws of the BVI, which, in effect, is a separate country
from the UK. If a UK citizen wishes to work here, he or
she has to first obtain a work permit. Being a UK citizen
does not automatically grant you status here.
Some 15 or 20 years ago, if you had wished to
remain in the BVI, you would have had to pay full duty
on the hull value of your yacht at a rate of five percent,
plus ten percent on the rest of the yacht. This was
changed to a much more reasonable figure of $201.
This fee is, in fact, for Temporary Importation of the
yacht and not Annual Tonnage. It applies to everyone
wishing their yacht to remain here over 30 days
[Editor’s note: the Temporary Importation fee of $200
covers the boat up to a year], whether cruising, chartering or simply a private yacht whose owner wishes it
to remain here. To say it is a “scam” is completely
erroneous. The Cruising Permit you mentioned only
applies to vessels trading in BVI waters.
I hope that this clarifies the situation for you.
Frances David
Shore Side Yacht Services Ltd
British Virgin Islands
Dear Compass,
Thank you for your e-mail and the opportunity to
respond to it.
I was out of state at the time of the incident and was not
aware of it until I received your e-mail. I have since
enquired of Chef, my manager, who has acknowledged
the event and had some discourse with the complainant.
I was able to ascertain the following:
• That the captain has visited Wallilabou on previous
occasions. He uses Cedric Davis as his assistant.
Davis is an authorized boat boy from the association
and an agent for Wallilabou Anchorage.
• That he was tied up on one of our moorings but
moved to a mooring on the other end of the bay during
the night.
• That the following morning he came to the restau-
The insurance business has changed.
No longer can brokers talk of low rates.
Rather, the honest broker can only say,
“I’ll do my best to minimize your increase!”
There is good insurance, there is cheap
insurance, but there is no good cheap
insurance. You never know how good
your insurance is until you have a claim.
My claims settlement record
cannot be matched.
I have been connected with the marine insurance
business for 47 years. I have developed a rapport
with brokers and underwriters at Lloyds and am
able to introduce boat owners to specialist brokers
in the Lloyds market.
e-mail: streetiolaire@hotmail.com
www.street-iolaire.com
McIntyre Bros. Ltd.
TRUE BLUE, ST. GEORGE’S,
GRENADA W.I.
YAMAHA
Parts - Repairs - Service
Outboard Engines 2HP-250HP
Duty-Free Engines for Yachts
TOURS & CRUISES - CAR & JEEP RENTAL
PHONE: (473) 444 3944/1555
FAX: (473) 444 2899
email: macford@spiceisle.com
PAGE 39
Editor’s note: We asked Steve Russell of Wallilabou
Anchorage (http://wallilabou.com/about) for his
response, which follows.
BUT THE MANGOES WERE THE BEST
Dear Compass,
On April 30th, we arrived on our sailboat in
Soufriere, St. Lucia at about 1:30PM and picked up the
most westward mooring ball by Rachette Point (the Bat
Cave side). We had help from a boat boy, as the mooring balls are close to each other and there was quite a
current and wind chop.
We were close to the catamaran ahead of us and, of
course, the shoreline, but the depth was 27 feet so we
thought little of it.
Later in the afternoon, the Marine Park Ranger came
to collect the fee and I queried him about safety issues.
He said if there was any problem to call him
on VHF16.
At about 8:00PM, we heard a terrible ruckus above
and went topsides to see that we had shifted 180
degrees and the catamaran ahead of us was riding
over his mooring ball and coming very close to us. He
had his engine on and was trying to back down and
remain in a safe position, away from the shore and our
boat. We tried hailing the Marine Park Ranger on
VHF16 to no avail. The catamaran was from Martinique
and also tried hailing the ranger with also no response.
There was little we could do to assist and this went on
for two hours when the current again changed, then
all was well.
At 6:00AM the current was slowly changing again,
but by then all but one of the boats on this side of the
mooring field had left, including us.
I was terribly disappointed not to get any assistance
from the Marine Park Ranger and thought that if there
had been a crime aboard, we would also have been on
our own. The fast-moving current and close proximity
to the shoreline had us all fearful, let alone the possible collision of boats.
On a positive note, the boat boy who assisted us sold
us the most delicious mangoes we have ever had.
Other boat boys were also offering some goods and we
only wished we had purchased more.
Donna and David
S/V Merlin
Marine
Insurance
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
I phoned the owner of the restaurant, who also owns
the mooring buoys, to advise him of the incident. He
later reported back that the “cut” bow line had rubbed
on a “metal piece” under the water and caused the line
to break. This is not true as the bow line was severed
two metres from the bow and the rope was definitely
burnt black. I do understand that he is only protecting
his business.
One can only assume that there is some sort of
vendetta between the locals, and the sailing fraternity
needs to be aware of the security risk when visiting.
The other important point is, with all the vendors
around the boat while trying to moor the boat, it is
only a matter of time before somebody gets seriously
injured. The authorities need to address this urgently! Sad to say we have taken this lovely anchorage off
our itinerary.
Doug Fairfield
Yacht Katlyn
Dear Compass Readers,
We looked at the rope in question, and also asked an
experienced yacht skipper and one of the long-time
Bequia ferry captains to examine it. At the severed end
of the rope, the length of the individual strands was
quite even. The very tips of the strands were black.
There was also some reddish-brown staining near the
ends that might or might not be rust (see our photo at
left). We then burned the ends of some of the strands
with a lighter to check the effects of burning.
The results of our examination were inconclusive. My
personal guess — which certainly could be wrong —
would be that the rope was somehow cut, due to the relative evenness of all the ends of the strands. If burning
alone had severed such a thick rope, I think there would
have been a big glob or globs of melted material on the
raw end(s), and all the strands would not have ended up
so nearly the same length. Only the very tips of the
strands are blackened, but not melted together, consistent
with very quick burning (or…?). We got a similar singedlooking effect from holding the lighter on the end of the
rope for just a couple of seconds, but had to hold the flame
there for several seconds for it to actually begin to melt. Is
it possible that the singed effect could be simply from the
friction of something slicing through the rope? Or is there
another possibility we haven’t thought about?
In any case, regardless of the method used, or whether or not it was intentional, having mooring lines part in
the night is serious business. Wallilabou Anchorage is
to be commended for the recent renovation of its moorings, and the installation of cameras monitored by the
Coast Guard is a progressive step. Meanwhile, the
Ministry of Tourism has long been trying to get the boat
boys of St. Vincent & the Grenadines to become more
professional, and in many places they are, but it seems
there are always a few who just don’t understand how
detrimental a chaotic and aggressive approach is for
their business. We salute Yacht Katlyn for supporting
local vendors and hope this incident won’t discourage
them from continuing to do so.
Sally
JUNE 2014
MOORING LINE MYSTERY
Hi, Compass,
We had an unpleasant experience in Wallilabou, St.
Vincent recently, which you might want to share with
your readers.
I am a boat owner and charter captain and operate in
St. Vincent & the Grenadines. On entering Wallilabou,
I contacted my usual rope handler by phone and
arranged his services (to tie the bow to a buoy and a
stern line ashore). We encountered the usual “boat
boys madness” on entering the bay, which included
two boats colliding in an effort to get to us first.
While trying to maneuver our catamaran into position we had scores of people alongside the boat trying
to sell their wares. We even had somebody on a paddleboard between the two hulls! We respectfully asked
them all to move away before somebody got injured,
but nobody complied.
Through our guests and our crew, we try to support
the locals as much as possible but you just can’t support them all. This results in some very disgruntled
people and this proved to be far more serious than we
first thought. At 2:00AM the next morning we found
ourselves on the rocks against the shoreline; our bow
line had been burnt through (I have photos as proof).
We were fortunate that the weather was calm and we
only sustained minor damage.
rant with a 20-foot-long rope, which appeared to be a
part of our mooring system, and proceeded to lodge a
complaint of sabotage to his yacht by burning through
the mooring rope, thereby rendering the boat adrift
and in peril.
• That he had taken pictures of the rope and wished
to pursue the matter.
While the rope appears to have been chafed through,
I prefer to let you come to your own conclusion. All of
our moorings were replaced in February with new pennants, chain, rope, shackles and swivels. I have put
the rope on the Bequia Express to arrive at 11:30AM
today for your assessment and analysis.
I would also like to inform you that the Coast Guard
now monitors the entire bay, 24 hours a day with panoramic cameras fitted with infrared capabilities. We
have requested that they revisit that night in question.
I am, however, sorry for the misfortune and inconvenience suffered here in Wallilabou.
Steve
CALENDAR
PROUDLY SPONSORED BY
CONSERVATION:
SALTY’S BEAT BY NATHALIE WARD
JUNE
JUNE 2014
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 40
5
6–9
World Environment Day. www.unep.org/wed
Petite Martinique Whitsuntide Regatta. www.grenadagrenadines.com/
plan/events/petite-martinique-whitsuntide-regatta-festival
6–9
Canouan Whitsuntide Regatta
7
Public holiday in the Bahamas (Labour Day)
7-8
J/24 Open Championship, Barbados. www.j24barbados.com
8
Whit Sunday (public holiday in many places)
9
Public holiday in many places (Whit Monday)
8 - 15
ProKids Windsurfing Event, Bonaire. See their Facebook page
9 – 14
64th Ernest Hemingway International Billfishing Tournament,
Marina Hemingway, Cuba.
www.hemingwaycuba.com/hemingway-fishing-tournament.html
13
FULL MOON Parties at Trellis Bay and West End, Tortola,
and at Pinney’s Beach, Nevis
14
Public holiday in BVI and Anguilla (Sovereign’s Birthday)
14 - 15 Heineken Light Caribbean Laser Championships, St. Martin.
www.laserchamps.com
16 – 18 Sea Star Optimist Clinic, St. Thomas. internationaloptiregatta@gmail.com
19
Sea Star Team Racing, St. Thomas. internationaloptiregatta@gmail.com
17 – 22 Caribbean International Kiteboard Week, Bonaire.
www.facebook.com/Kiteridebonaire
19
Public holiday in Trinidad & Tobago (Labour Day)
20
Summer Solstice
20 - 22 International Optimist Regatta, St. Thomas.
internationaloptiregatta@gmail.com
20 - 22 Curaçao Heineken Regatta. www.heinekenregattacuracao.com
21
Fête de la Musique, St. Barths. www.stbarth-tourisme.com
21
Summer Sailstice. www.summersailstice.com
24
Public holiday in Venezuela (Battle of Carabobo)
27 – 8 July Vincy Mas (St. Vincent Carnival). www.discoversvg.com
29
Fisherman’s Birthday. Local boat racing in many communities
30
Public holiday in the BVI (Territory Day)
JULY
1
1
2
Public holiday in Antigua & Barbuda (Vere Cornwall Bird Sr. Day)
Aruba Hi-Winds Kitesurf event. www.hiwindsaruba.com
Public holiday in Curaçao (Flag Day)
and Cayman Islands (Constitution Day)
5
Public holiday in Venezuela (Independence Day)
5–7
22nd Annual Firecracker 500 & Chili Cook-off, Tortola.
West End Yacht Club, martin@sailsistership.com
7
Public holiday in CARICOM countries (CARICOM Day)
10
Public holiday in the Bahamas (Independence Day)
12
Bequia Fishermen’s Day Competition. www.bequiatourism.com
12
FULL MOON Parties at Trellis Bay and West End, Tortola,
and at Pinney’s Beach, Nevis
13
Barbados Cruising Club Regatta. Barbados Cruising Club,
www.barbadoscruisingclub.org
13 – 19 Reggae Sumfest, Jamaica. www.reggaesumfest.com
14
Bastille Day. Celebrations on French islands;
yole races in Martinique. http://yoles-rondes.net
14 - 15 Chief Minister’s Cup International Youth Regatta, Tortola.
www.katsbvi.com
14 - 21 Calabash Festival, Montserrat. www.visitmontserrat.com
16 – 1 Aug Tobago Heritage Festival. http://tobagoheritagefestival.com
20
Public holiday in Colombia (Declaration of Independence Day)
24
31st Annual “Christmas Eve in July” Waterfront & Marina Celebration,
Virgin Gorda. Bitter End Yacht Club, www.beyc.com
24
Public holiday in Venezuela (Simón Bolívar’s Birthday)
26
Guy Eldridge Memorial Trophy Race.
Royal British Virgin Islands Yacht Club, www.royalbviyc.org
26 – 5 Aug Antigua Carnival. http://antiguacarnival.com
27 – 3 Aug 30th Tour des Yoles Rondes, Martinique. http://yoles-rondes.net
28
Public holiday in Trinidad & Tobago (Eid al Fitr)
30
Carriacou Children’s Education Fund
Annual Welcome Potluck Barbecue. ccefinfo@gmail.com
The Magnificent
Frigatebird
With its extraordinarily long wings and deeply forked tail, the man-o-war bird or
magnificent frigatebird is unmistakable when seen in flight. The massive wingspan
enables the frigatebird to soar effortlessly, and make graceful aerial manoeuvres, which
so captivated Charles Darwin that he dubbed this species “the condor of the ocean”.
The name “frigatebird” calls to mind the sails of ships and, indeed, frigatebirds sail
gracefully in the air currents overhead. Their wingspan is some 7.5 feet and their
deeply forked scissor-like tails afford them ultimate maneuverability. Their other
common name, however, the “man-o’-war” bird, reflects the way in which they use
their consummate flying and maneuvering skill.
FACT: The frigatebird has the largest
wingspan in comparison to its body of
any bird species in the world, so the
frigatebird is naturally an adept pilot.
Because their body weight is very
light in comparison to their wing surface, they can glide in the air at altitudes of up to 2,500 meters. Frigatebirds
have been known to stay in the air for
nearly a whole week and only land on
the rocky cliffs to breed or to rest.
While perfectly adapted for magnificent
flight manoeuvres, the magnificent
frigatebird does less well on land and
sea. It has short legs and very small
feet, causing its movements on land to
be somewhat awkward; moreover, the
plumage lacks a waterproof coating,
hence the bird becomes waterlogged
and unable to fly if it sits on the water
for more than a minute or two.
FACT: Frigatebirds will rob other seabirds of their catch, using their speed and
maneuverability to outrun and harass their victims until they regurgitate their stomach contents, which are caught in flight before they hit the water.
Since these birds do not swim and cannot walk well, and cannot take off from a
flat surface, frigatebirds obtain most of their food by snatching it from the ocean
surface or beach using their long, hooked bills. They catch fish, baby turtles, the
marine iguana and similar items in this way. Although frigatebirds are renowned for
their kleptoparasitic feeding behavior — stealing food from other animals — kleptoparasitism is not thought to play a significant part of the diet of any species, and
is instead a supplement to food obtained by hunting.
FACT: Frigatebirds are the only seabird family that has obvious, significant differences in plumage between the sexes.
The male magnificent frigatebird has entirely black plumage, glossed green on the
head and purple on the upper wings and back, and possesses a bare patch of skin
on the lower neck, known as the gular sac. This sac can be inflated into a bright red
balloon-like organ, which is used to attract females during courtship, while outside
the breeding season, the patch fades to orange and becomes barely visible.
The female magnificent frigatebird is larger than the male, lacks a gular sac, and
has less glossy, brownish-black plumage, with a white patch across the breast and
upper belly, three white lines on the underwing and a diagonal off-white line running
along the upper wing. Juveniles resemble the adult female, except for the head,
which is entirely white.
All information was correct to the best of our knowledge
at the time this issue of Compass went to press — but plans change,
so please contact event organizers directly for confirmation.
If you would like a nautical or tourism event listed FREE
in our monthly calendar, please send the name
and date(s) of the event and the name
and contact information of the organizing body to
sally@caribbeancompass.com
Answer on page 32
WHAT’S ON MY MIND…
WHERE’S HOME?
by Nicola Cornwell
After a couple of years away with just occasional
short visits, Mikey and I are now back on board
Pandora and couldn’t be happier.
Here are a few thoughts that have occurred during
the six weeks that we’ve been back, about the tricky
concept of “home” and the answer to the vexed question, “Where are you from?”
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PAGE 41
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JUNE 2014
And rum still tastes great.
What’s nice about floating around on a boat meeting
other like-minded souls is no-one asks what you do,
they know what you do: you spend most of your time
pootling between islands, fixing and/or cleaning something on your boat and drinking local beer and rum in
various beach establishments, usually around the
time the sun sets. How you
got to this point involves
the past and no one much
cares about that. But as
most sailors here are travellers like us, they do often
ask where you’re from.
Where’s home?
We hate that question.
It’s just so hard to answer.
One clue for the enquirer
is the flag on the stern of
your boat. By law, you have
to fly the flag of the port the
boat is registered in. For
most people this is their
“home” port. We fly the flag
of the British Virgin Islands.
This is because Pandora
was registered there when
we bought her new, in
order not to have to pay
Baby driver at Saltwhistle Bay, Mayreau. ‘We’re back
VAT as we were taking her
in the Caribbean and it’s like greeting an old friend’
out of the UK. The BVI is
not our home.
So, we arrived back in Grenada and it’s like greeting
For most people it’s where they were born. Mikey
an old friend. Sure, a few things have changed since I
was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and I was born in
was last here about 18 months ago, but it’s mostly just
Aden, Yemen. Nope, that’s not home.
the same. The taxi driver who picked us up from the
For others it’s what passport or other similar resiairport remembered us, as did various yachtie acquaindential documentation they have. Mikey has a British
tances, who welcomed us back at the regular Hog
passport and is a resident of St. Vincent & the
Island Sunday beach barbecue. The roads are still full
Grenadines. I have a British passport, am months
of potholes, the music is always played loud, local
away from having an American one and also have
guys walking around with huge machetes are no cause
resident status in St. Vincent & the Grenadines. But
for concern and the locally made hot sauce is way hotwe have no houses in the UK and haven’t lived there
ter than any dodgy vindaloo you might have chanced
since 2008. Even Her Majesty’s Inland Revenue Dept
at your favourite curry house.
have us listed as non-residents. So no, that’s not
The constant sunshine and warm soft breezes have
home.
turned our crusty pale New York skin into deep brown,
So, where do you have a house? Well we have an
our feet have got used to being constrained by nothing
apartment in New York City but Mikey is not legally
other than the occasional Jesus boot (a.k.a. flip flop),
allowed to “live” in the US (he’s only allowed to be a
we have returned to saying “good morning/afternoon/
visitor) and, even though I am technically about to be
night” to everyone we pass in the street regardless of
an American, I still can’t bring myself to say it’s where
whether we know them or not, and we have re-learned
I’m from.
how to get back on Island Time — when things happen
What about families then, where did you grow up,
slowly and usually not in the way you thought they
maybe that’s where you’re from? Well, Mikey spent his
would, rendering planning a mostly pointless exercise
early years in Venezuela before going to England, and
in needless frustration.
I flitted between England and Germany before moving
to Australia when I was 12 years old, where my family
still live. But I haven’t lived in Australia for 25 years
and have no legal residency status there any more. So
maybe Mikey is still sort of English and I’m… well, I
still dunno.
Hmmm… see the problem now?
The fact is that we don’t really care where home is
and we don’t mind that we don’t really have a sense
of where we’re from. Home is an abstract concept for
us. Quite simply, wherever we are is home and we’re
good with that. More often than not it’s other people
who are more bothered than we are when we have
difficulty giving an answer to what is usually a
straightforward question.
So, while we always sigh when asked “the question”,
knowing our answer is not going to be satisfactory and
is never succinct, we have come up with a cunning
plan to defray the first assumptions based on our
stern flag. We’re going to buy a load of different countries’ flags, and then, depending on what kind of mood
we are in, will insert the appropriate one in our flag
holder and adopt the clichéd sailing stereotype associated with that country. So for instance, when we want
to park right up someone’s jacksie and go ashore
before waiting until we’ve seen if the boat will swing
around into anyone, we’ll pop in the French flag. If we
want to have a loud argument on deck, we’ll grab the
German one. If we want to get naked when we shower
off the back off the boat, time for Sweden. If we want
everyone to avoid us like the plague, it’s up with the
Stars and Stripes… you get the idea.
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JUNE 2014
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
PAGE 42
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holatortugal@gmail.com
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Land and houses for sale
For full details see our website:
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or contact Carolyn Alexander at
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Tel: (473) 443 8187 Fax: (473) 443 8290
Engineering, fabrication and
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Tel: (473) 536-1560/435-7887
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continued on next page
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PAGE 43
St. Vincent
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PAGE 44
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Caribbean Compass
—Continued from page 21
April 7th to 9th: Sail to Portsmouth; the boys stay at The Peanut Farm Bungalows
and visit Syndicate Falls and Red Rock, and we hike a nearby trail to a hot spring.
April 9th: Day sail with Canadian Yachting journalists to Toucari Bay for a snorkel.
April 10th and 11th: Motor down coast to Roseau and have dinner at DaBoardwalk
in Wall House with a girlfriend.
Sanctuary, take in the laundry.
April 20: Take SAIL magazine and newspaper journalists, and Cobra Tours, on
Sanctuary to Toucari Bay for article on sailing in Dominica. Get crazy at the
PAYS barbecue!
April 26: Day charter with Secret Bay Resort guests to Toucari Bay; sold two cases
of my book, Captain Mark’s Way, to Shipwreck Shops in St. Martin.
And so it goes here in Dominica. I guess the whole year and a half since moving
here has been an Exceptional Memory!
Sanctuary is located in Portsmouth, one of only two sailboats based in the bay
during the summer. Looking forward to my Grenadines cruise in September!
Rosie Burr and Sim Hoggarth, Wandering Star
The highlight these last winter months for us has been family visiting St. Maarten,
a fun place to entertain, with great beaches and affordable eating out — plus, of
course, a short, easy daysail to St Barths or Anguilla for a change of scene.
‘Am I having fun yet? Of course!’ Captain Mark’s whole winter was
a non-stop memorable experience
Deadman’s Bay at Peter Island. Finally taking time to explore the Virgin Islands was
a winter highlight for long-term cruisers Rosie and Sim
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
And the British and US Virgin Islands — what a fabulous cruising ground they
offer! And one that we had never taken the time to explore before.
Now our plans for the summer are to head up to the United States via the
Bahamas, to wear some clothes for a while before returning back to our Caribbean
bikini lifestyle.
JUNE 2014
April 12th and 13th: Pick up a German couple and their three teenage boys in St.
Pierre, Martinique; sail back the next day. Buy two bottles of my favorite Clement
Limited Edition Vieux rhum!
April 13th to 18th: Visit Titou Gorge (so cool) and Trafalgar Falls (so beautiful) east
of Roseau. Germans hike to Boiling Lake in record time and visit Red Rock Dunes
while I move the boat to Portsmouth and replace a fan belt. We sail to Les Saintes
for two nights, fast passages, smooth seas, where the Germans enjoy the beach, Au
Bon Vivre and Coconuts Bar.
April 18th: Return to Portsmouth from Les Saintes; the Germans move to The
Peanut Farm until April 22nd, enjoying a reggae festival in Mero. I stay aboard
PAGE 45
CLASSIFIEDS
41’ ROGER SIMPSON DESIGN
Light weight, cruising catamaran, 3 cabin, 1 head.
USD75,000
ONO
Tel:
(868) 684-7720/634-2259
E-mail: ldemontbrun@hotmail.com
or marconeltd@hotmail.com
FOR SALE
2003 GibSea 51
160.000 US
2002 BENETEAU 505
175.000 US
1992 WARWICK Cardinal 46cc
165.000 US
2001 Bavaria 46/3
130.000 US
1987 IRWIN 44 MK II
95.000 US
1983 34ft VINDÖ 45
49.900 US
E-mail: ulrich@dsl-yachting.com
Tel: (758) 452 8531
JEANNEAU SUN ODYSSEY
42.1 1995, owned since 2000,
US$99,000, regularly serviced, lightly used, ready to
live aboard. Watermaker,
solar/wind generators, serviced life-raft, new dinghy,
rigging new 2013, genoa
2012, Yanmar 48hp. 5,200hrs.
E-mail: dbriefuk@yahoo.com,
m.padfield@hotmail.com
LUXURIOUS
MOTOR
CATAMARAN FOR HALF THE
PRICE! Excellent for fishing,
snorkeling, diving trips, seats
covered for 40 passengers,
sunbathing area for 5, two
heads w/shwrs and much
more! Photos and unbelievable price http://daycharterboatcuracaoforsale.com/
E-mail: info@piscabay.com
31’
BOWEN
PIROGUE
2x200hp Yamaha. US$40,000.
Tel: (784) 496-5457
CARRIACOU LAND, Lots
and multi-acre tracts. Great
views overlooking Southern
Grenadines and Tyrrel Bay.
www.caribtrace.com
CARRIACOU - HERMITAGE
Overlooking Tyrrel Bay. 2 storey house with fenced garden on ¼ acre. Upstairs apt
has 2 bedrooms, 1 bath,
large veranda. Downstairs
apt has 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, opens onto garden.
Available
immediately
EC$800,000 Laura Tel: (473)
443-6269 or +44 208-6215001 E-mail: tbyh@usa.net
MISC. FOR SALE
YANMAR 54 HP, low hours
with control panel. E-mail:
oceanjas@gmail.com
JUNE 2014
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
AMERICAN GULF STAR
HIRSCH 45 1985 Centre
cockpit. Ready for cruising,
lying Trinidad $US85,000 ono
E-mail: clivejane5@aol.com
LD
PAGE 46
47’
JAVELIN/FOUNTAIN
POWERBOAT
This luxury
speedboat is available in
Grenada. Gen-Set, A/C, white
leather in cabin, galley,
shower(s),VaccuFlush,Mercury
502 marine engines overhauled by Mercury dealer,
Bravo 1 drives. 40 MPH cruise
props w/over 60 speed props.
www.aviationcms.com E-mail:
acmsaircraftforsale@gmail.com
SO
COLUMBIA 36 Easy single
person sailing, a joy to sail!
Perfect for family weekend
cruising. Sleeps 6. All new
seacocks and thru-hulls,
Yanmar 30HP, ready to sail.
Hauled at Ottley Hall Shipyard
(St Vincent). Selling due to illness. Offers. E-mail: tom@
smudge.com Tel: (767) 613
9895 Details/photos at: www.
smudge.com/akemi_for_sale
38FT BOWEN w/cabin, 2x300
hp Yanmar Turbo, seats 20
passengers, large hard top,
stereo,
deck
shower/
head,swim platform/ladders
DIVE BOAT 42’
Must Sell, prices reduced
considerably Tel: (784) 5828828/457-4477
E-mail
info@fantaseatours.com
ENDEAVOUR 40 Center
cockpit, cruising ready,
complete w/solar panels,
wind generator, electronics.
Will trade for real estate.
E-mail: velerofia@gmail.com
1999 CARVER MOTOR YACHT
Good condition, professionally maintained, lots of spares,
low hrs. 2 x Cummins 450 diesels, 13.5KVA Kohler genset.
Berthed IGY Rodney Bay
Marina, St.Lucia. E-mail:
charlievictor54@yahoo.com
Tel: (758) 458-0523 / 461-6216
“ST. BRIAC” 62’ LOA WOODEN
BERMUDIAN KETCH. Major
rebuild
2009/13.
2
Circumnavigations, 6 berth, 2
heads/shwr, master cabin,
deckshwr. Large galley, varnished saloon, rewired 2012,
all LED's, solar panel, wind
generator. Good rig, overhauled 2011. 4 working sails, 3
boomed/ self-tacking, 1 roller
furling genoa, 100hp low hrs
Yanmar diesel, 100 gls fuel,
250 gls. pressure fresh water.
Dinghy/ob, Inventory too
long to list sent on request. "St
B" is a strong, roomy, liveaboard head-turner, could
easily be re-converted as
great day charter boat
again. Full history incl. 1960's
published circumnavigation
book, lots recent regatta winning photos. "St B" now heading south from Antigua to
Tobago
for
summer,
viewing possible enroute.
US$ 32,000 ONO. E-mail:
Stbriac@hotmail.co.uk Tel:
(Antigua) (268) 788-9056/
(UK) +44 (0) 7872226024
37’ 1982 COMET 7 tons 36 hp
bukh diesel, well equipped
with dinghy, 4 hp Yamaha
ob, all sails, 2 anchors, electronics. Ready for cruising.
US$28,000. Power Boats in
Trinidad. Tel: (868) 634-4346
E-mail: don@powerboats.co.tt
50’ LUXURY POWER BOAT
Complete refit 2010. Excellent
condition 2x420hp Caterpillar
3126. Fully AC . SAMS survey
2014. US$200,000 E-mail:
florent.dubois@hotmail.fr
SAILS
AND
CANVAS
EXCEPTIONALLY SPECIAL DEALS
at http://doylecaribbean.
com/specials.htm
FISHER PANDA 4000I 4KW
marine diesel generator, variable
speed, very quiet. Only 110hrs from
new (will increase as in regular use).
Upgrading to 6kw. In St Lucia. US$3,500
E-mail: goldfox33@gmail.com
RENTALS
PROPERTY FOR SALE
BEQUIA - MT. PLEASANT Great
views, large lots from US$5/sq.ft.
www.bequialandforsale.com
CARRIACOU-BELMONT
2 bedroom bungalow, fully furnished.
US$155,000 Tel: (473) 443-7819 E-mail:
princenoel@outlook.com
BEQUIA-MAC’S PIZZERIA
Waterfront
location,
Bequia’s most popular restaurant. Same owner-manager for 31 yrs. Complete
land, buildings, equipment.
Island Pace Realty. Tel: (784)
458-3544 Email: emmett@
islandpace.com
BEQUIA- BUILDING LOT Near
La Pompe, oceanfront
property with spectacular
view of Petit Nevis, Isle a
Quatre and Mustique.
11,340 sq/ft. US$125,000 Tel:
(613)
931-1868
E-mail:
maccomm@sympatico.ca
GRENADA - East side Clarkes
Court Bay. Excellent views, water
access, plots available. 0.9 acres
to 9,000 sq.ft. Prices from US$5 to
$10 sq/ft depending on size and
location. Including 50' of sand
waterfront with steep drop off to
deep water. E-mail streetiolaire@
hotmail.com
WANTED
GRENADA Nauti Solutions
are looking for a marine mechanic, with good skills in all marine
systems, Also a good welder,
fabricator, stainless steel and
alloy, with tig welding. Contact
Danny Gray Tel: (473) 416-7127
E-mail: svmagnum@hotmail.com.
Will help with work permits etc.
GRENADA- NAUTI SOLUTIONS are
looking for a marine mechanic,
with good skills in all marine systems, Also a good welder, fabricator, stainless steel and alloy,
with tig welding. Contact Danny
Gray Tel: (473) 416-7127 E-mail:
svmagnum@hotmail.com. Will
help with work permits etc.
CHARTER BASE MANAGER to
establish a new charter base
in St Vincent and the
Grenadines. Suitable applicants should have a very
strong background in maintenance, knowledge of
yacht systems essential, have
excellent supervisory and
organizational skills and be
highly customer service orientated. Please send a FULL
resume and covering letter
to: E-mail to: sales@horizongrenada.com, Horizon Yacht
Charters, PO Box 1171, Grand
Anse, St. George’s, Grenada,
WI. Closing date for applications 31 July 2014. No telephone enquiries please.
SERVICES
BEQUIA – MT. PLEASANT
Interesting, exotic, Tahiti-style
igloo. Tel: (784) 533-4865
www.cedarretreat.wordpress.com
LA POMPE, BEQUIA
Large 2 bedroom house and/
or 1 bed studio apartment.Big
verandah and patio, stunning
view, cool breeze. Internet,
cable TV. 2 weeks minimum,
excellent long-term rates.
Tel: (784) 495 1177
email: louisjan@vincysurf.com
GRENADA-BELLE ISLE, ST. DAVID’S
Apartment for rent near
Grenada Marine. Cute, clean,
comfortable, affordable studio
efficiency. Photos available.
Tel: (473)443-1301
E-mail:
deanschopp@hotmail.com
YACHT DELIVERIES International
blue water experienced captain/crew. USCG 100 ton
licensed, power & sail. Capt.
Louis Honeycutt, experienced &
reliable Tel: (757) 746-7927 E-mail:
info@247sailing.net
www.247sailing.net
ST. VINCENT - MURPHY'S
FRESH PROVISIONS
Mountain-grown flowers, fruit,
herbs and vegetables delivered to your table. Contact
Nazaket Murphy to place
your orders Tel: (784) 431-5540
E-mail:
nazaketmurphy@
gmail.com
DELIVERY SKIPPER, SURVEYOR,
mechanic, electrician, cook
and author needs berth from
Caribbean to UK/Europe May
or June. Contact Cris
Robinson
E-mail:
hornblowers@hotmail.com
CLASSIFIEDS
US 50¢ PER WORD - Include name, address and numbers in count.
Line drawings/photos accompanying classifieds are US$10.
Pre-paid by the 10th of the month.
E-mail: shellese@caribbeancompass.com
ADVERTISERS INDEX
ADVERTISER
LOCATION
PG# ADVERTISER
LOCATION
PG#
ADVERTISER
LOCATION
PG# ADVERTISER
Aero Tech Lab
Art & Design
Art Fabrik
B & C Fuel Dock
Barefoot Yacht Charters
Bay Island Yachts
Bequia Marina
Blue Lagoon Hotel & Marina
Boat Paint & Stuff
C/W
Antigua
Grenada
Grenada
SVG
Trinidad
SVG
SVG
St. Maarten
38
MP
MP
26
19
41
26
18
MP
Doolittle's Restaurant
Down Island Real Estate
Doyle Offshore Sails
Echo Marine
Edward William Insurance
Electropics
Fajardo Canvas
Fernando's Hideaway
Food Fair
St. Lucia
Grenada
Tortola
Trinidad
International
Trinidad
Puerto Rico
SVG
Grenada
37
MP
4
21
39
MP
MP
MP
38
Marc One Marine
Marigot Gourmet Pizza
Marina Pescaderia
Marina Santa Marta
Marina Zar-Par
McIntyre Bros
Mid Atlantic Yacht Services
Mid Atlantic Yacht Services
Multihull Company
Trinidad
St. Lucia
Puerto Rico
Colombia
Dominican Rep
Grenada
Azores
Azores
C/W
MP
37
MP
14
27
39
MP
MP
45
SpotlessStainless
C/W
St. Kitts Marine Works Limited St. Kitts
Sugar Reef Bequia Ltd
SVG
Sunbay Marina
Puerto Rico
Technick
Grenada
Topaz for sale
C/W
Tortugal
Guatemala
Trade Winds help wanted
C/W
Turbulence Sails
Grenada
Budget Marine
Camper & Nicholsons
Sint Maarten
Grenada
2
47
Free Cruising Guides
Golden Hind Chandlery
C/W
Tortola
33
MP
Nauti Solutions
Neil Pryde Sails
Grenada
Grenada
MP
MP
Velocity Water Services
Venezuelan Marine Supply
SVG
Venezuela
MP
MP
Captain Gourmet
Caraibe Marine
SVG
Martinique
MP
13
Grenada Marine
Grenada Tourism
Grenada
Grenada
20
7
Off Shore Risk Management Tortola
Ottley Hall Marina & Shipyard SVG
28
MP
WIND
Xanadu Marine
Martinique
Venezuela
MP
27
Caraibe Marine
Caribbean Marine Electrical
Martinique
Trinidad
MP
MP
Grenadine Air Alliance
Grenadines Sails
SVG
SVG
34
MP
Perkins Engines
Porthole Restaurant
Tortola
SVG
9
MP
Xtreme Fuel treatment
Yacht Steering Committee
C/W
Trinidad
MP
23
Caribbean Propellers
Clippers Ship
Trinidad
Martinique
MP
MP
Hotwire Enterprises
Iolaire Enterprises
USA
UK
41
Power Boats
32/39 Renaissance Marina
Trinidad
Aruba
MP
6
YES
YSATT
Martinique
Trinidad
MP
MP
Cruising Life
Curaçao Marine
Dometic
Dominica Yacht Services
SVG
Curaçao
C/W
Dominica
33
5
10
MP
Island Water World
Johnson Hardware
Le Phare Bleu
LIAT
Sint Maarten
St. Lucia
Grenada
C/W
48
29
12
8
C/W
C/W
Grenada
Grenada
17
10
MP
31
Sea Hawk Paints
Second Life Sails
Slipway Restaurant
Spice Island Marine
LOCATION
PG#
MP
11
MP
15
MP
MP
MP
21
20/MP
MP = Market Place pages 42 to 44
C/W = Caribbean-wide
—
Port Louis Marina, Grenada:
The ideal location for the Caribbean summer
—
JUNE 2014
CARIBBEAN COMPASS
—
New rates: 1 June to 30 November 2014
LOA in feet
Daily $/ft/day
Port Louis Marina provides a safe, secure berth with all the amenities
you’d expect from a full-service marina run by Camper & Nicholsons.
up to 32
$0.85
$0.77
$0.39
– Water and electricity
up to 40
$1.10
$0.99
$0.48
– Free broadband
up to 50
$1.20
$1.08
$0.53
– 24 hour security
up to 60
$1.30
$1.17
$0.59
up to 65
$1.45
$1.31
$0.66
– Bar, restaurant and swimming pool
– Haul-out and technical facilities nearby
– Excellent air links
Our low season rates represent excellent value, and we are also offering
an Early Arrivals Discount of 40% off the standard daily rate, for yachts
that arrive during May and book a stay of four months or more through
the summer. Contact us for details (conditions apply).
–
Call Danny Donelan on +1 (473) 435 7431
or email danny.donelan@cnportlouismarina.com
–
www.cnmarinas.com/plm
Weekly $/ft/day Monthly $/ft/day
up to 75
$1.50
$1.35
$0.67
up to 80
$1.65
$1.49
$0.83
up to 100
$1.70
$1.53
$0.85
For yachts above 100 feet LOA, and for bookings of longer periods,
please contact us for a personalised quote. Multihulls are charged
at 1.5 times the standard rate. Weekly and monthly rates apply
to yachts staying consecutively for 7 days or 30 days respectively.
PAGE 47
Lying just above 12°N, Grenada is south of the main hurricane belt,
which is why growing numbers of yacht owners are enjoying a warm
welcome in the ‘Spice Island’ during the summer months.
Published by Compass Publishing Limited, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and printed by Guardian Media Limited, Trinidad & Tobago

bequia easter regatta 2014

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